


out of the woods

by xkitsune



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, Healer!Reader, Romance, Witch Mercy, but reader and gabriel exist to annoy each other, like half g reyes and half reaper, not really so much enemies, slow-burn ish, wraith gabriel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:01:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24892024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xkitsune/pseuds/xkitsune
Summary: on your way home from a research trip, you find an injured stranger and are forced to wait out the snowstorm together.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Reader
Comments: 66
Kudos: 167





	1. chapter one

You shivered as you pulled your cloak tighter around your shoulders, your teeth chattering against the icy gale that blew around you. 

It had begun to snow about a half hour ago, leaving you with little visibility and a chill that seemed to penetrate to your bones. You were forced to travel slowly, not trusting your steed to go at a pace any faster than a walk; you needed to find a place to stay, and fast. Overshire was still another three days' travel, but you’d be hopeless getting there in this snowstorm and there was a chance of you ending up walking in circles.

You remembered passing a small inn when you had first made your way to Eichenfort a month ago, and you sorely hoped that you’d be able to navigate your way there through the flurries. 

Figuring that it was better to walk alongside your horse, you hopped down from your seat and took hold of its reins in your right hand. The snow was, thankfully, only a few inches thick and you were able to make your way through the sparse forest with only minimal hindrance.

You tucked your chin to your chest as you continued to push against the wind, the cold flakes hitting your skin and making you flinch. You couldn’t help but curse your bad luck--it had been relatively sunny with a slight chill for your whole stay in the neighbouring village, yet the moment you had begun your trek home it had decided to start snowing. Hopefully, Jack would see the weather and assume you had taken shelter somewhere for a couple of days--sending a messenger crow would be fruitless in this storm.

Huffing, you panted with exertion as you crested a small hill the path led you up to. You could hardly contain your joy when you reached the top and saw a plume of smoke in the distance and a soft glow coming from what you could only hope was the inn. You were about to make your way down the hill towards the cottage but your horse suddenly reared on its hind legs, letting out a terrified whinny. 

Whipping around, you surveyed the area around you for any threats, only to be met with stillness in the white forest. You turned to soothe your horse and gave a small pull forward, but it gave a shake of its head and dug its hooves into the earth. Frustrated, you tried once more but it didn’t budge, forcing you to have to search for whatever had spooked it.

Leading the horse to a nearby tree, you fastened the reins to a low hanging branch and gave it a comforting pat on the side of its neck.

Grabbing the hilt of the knife tucked into your boot, you slowly slunk towards the thicket of trees, your head low as you maneuvered your way around the foliage. You could feel your heartbeat in your throat while you scanned the woods, your fingers clasped tightly around your weapon. 

Combat wasn’t really your forte, and you really only carried the knife more so for cutting roots and herbs. You didn’t know what you would do if you were to come face to face with a threat, but you sincerely hoped that it’d be a stray animal and you’d be able to chase it away before going on your merry way.

After walking for ten minutes, you gave up, figuring that it had to be a crow or a rabbit that had scared your horse. You were just about to circle back to the path but a black mound laying in a fern patch caught your attention. Slowly, you crouched and tried to blend in with the trees in an attempt to hide yourself as you tried to make out what it was.

It was too large to be prey, and all the bears were in their dens hibernating this time of year. Creeping forward, you moved towards the unmoving lump and readjusted your grip on your knife. 

The snow muffled your footsteps, but you flinched when a misplaced step cracked a branch underneath your boot. Stilling, you saw the shape twitch but remain on the ground.

It wasn’t until you were about six feet away that you realized it was a human, their head and legs clearly distinguishable up close. All precautions of robbers and thieves were thrown out the window as you made your way over, digging around in your pouch for a biotic potion you kept on you at all times.

“Hello?” You called out, kneeling next to the figure. “Are you alright?” 

It was a man, by the looks of their height and size, and you could see the features of their face hidden in the hood of their cloak. When he failed to respond, you reached out to feel for a pulse but quickly found your wrist captured by a strong grip. 

“Don’t...touch…” his voice was low and gravelly, but it hardly deterred you. Jack would have yelled at you and called you foolish for getting yourself into a potentially dangerous position, but you were a healer and this man clearly needed your help. 

“Are you hurt?” You asked, ignoring his request and taking a hold of his arm in your free hand. His skin was like ice, and you wondered just how long he had been out here for as you searched for a pulse. It was dangerously slow, and you couldn’t fathom how he was still holding onto your wrist with such an iron grip.

“There’s an inn not far,” you pressed, undeterred by his lack of response. “Can you stand?”

You handed over the potion but he swatted it away, his body shifting as he began to haul himself up. You pocketed the vial into your pouch and backed up to give him room as he let out a pained grunt, heaving himself onto first his hands and then his knees. You waited until he was on his feet before you brought his arm around your shoulders to support his weight.

The man tried to push you away but found himself stumbling the moment he had let go of you, and from your peripheral you could see the whites of his teeth as he grit them. Securing his arm back over you, the two of you slowly began your way back to the path. It wasn’t an easy task, to navigate the thick foliage with a six-foot some man leaning on you, and by the time you had reached the path your legs were sore and you were dripping with sweat.

The moment you reappeared from the forest with him, your horse gave another whine and started to back away, only to be held fast by its reins attached to the branch. It reared up again in its anxiety, snow kicking out from underneath its hooves.

“Easy!” You yelled out, raising your hand as you slowly inched forward. The horse was still uneasy on its feet but allowed you to approach. You placed a comforting hand on its muzzle and waited until its’ anxiety ebbed. Tentatively, you made your way around to the side and withdrew the man’s arm off your shoulder before placing it on the saddle. 

It took a couple tries before he could hoist himself up, and by the way he was slumped forward, you could tell just how exhausted he was. With quick fingers, you undid the knot on the branch and took the rein back in your hands before tugging on it to get your horse to begin down the slight hill. You couldn’t have been more than a half hour from when you first stopped, but the snowfall had increased by tenfold, making it hard for you to see the path.

Every step could have been in the wrong direction for all you knew, but before long you could see the ember glow of the inn getting clearer. As the snow pelted down onto you in icy flurries, you picked your pace up into a jog and crossed the last bit of distance between you and the cottage. 

You came to a stop and tried your best to shelter your horse underneath the overhang of the roof as you reached up to prod at the man. He had become worryingly still once more, and it took a few sharp pokes for him to bring himself to sit up.

“Come on,” you urged, your face and fingers becoming more frozen by the second. “We’re here.”

The man made his way to climb down from the horse but more so fell onto the ground. The snow thankfully cushioned the impact and you patiently helped him up, your concern growing at his lack of body heat. 

He took the liberty of opening the front door, a feat considering just how vicious the winds had begun to pick up. The two of you, snow covered and shivering, stumbled into the inn and was met with a stunned woman standing behind a desk.

“Oh my lord,” she sputtered. “Are you two all right?” 

You managed somewhat of a self deprecating smile. “We’d just like two rooms,” you requested. “He...took a bad fall and isn’t able to travel.”

You weren’t exactly sure what was wrong with him, but you figured it’d be best for you to get him in a warm bed and then ask questions. 

The innkeeper looked embarrassed, her eyes flickering between the two of you. “I’m sorry, we just have one last room left. This snowstorm came out of nowhere and we just got a lot of other travellers looking for accommodation.” 

You managed to maintain your smile even though you were running through all the scenarios in your head. What if this guy really was a thief? Or a criminal? Or someone from a neighbouring kingdom sent to spy? It really wasn’t ideal to be sharing a room with a complete stranger, but you had no choice. You were cold, tired and hungry and you didn’t have the heart to cast him back into the snowstorm, no matter how little you knew him. 

With a nod, you informed the innkeeper that that was perfectly fine and slid two gold coins over the counter. 

-x-x-x-

Sighing contently, you dried off your hair to the best of your abilities with a towel and made your way back into the sleeping quarters. You had instructed him to rid himself of all his wet clothes and climb into the sheets, and with the fire roaring in front of him you hoped that it wouldn’t have been long before he warmed up. 

The innkeeper had graciously sent someone to board your horse and bring your belongings up. Your eyes flickered from your saddle pouches drying in front of the fire to the man in the bed. 

Now that his heavy cloak was off, you could see his face and rugged features, facial hair covering his jaw and chin. He had the blanket up to his neck and had his eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to you walking in. 

Slowly, you made your way to his side and reached out to feel his temperature on his forehead, but stopped in your tracks as he opened his eyes in a glare.

“Don’t touch me,” he rasped, narrowing his hazel gaze at you.

You couldn’t help but snort, crossing your arms at his aloofness. “I just dug you out of a snowstorm and this is how you thank me?” 

He gave an irritated growl, closing his eyes once more with his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. “I’m fine.” He insisted.

“You’re half dead.” You retorted, grabbing your pouch from the side table and opening it. You fished the potion that he had previously refused, opening the cork and handing it to him. “Drink this.” 

The man didn’t bother opening his eyes to look at what you were offering. “I don’t need your potion, witch.” 

The comment stung but you held your ground, grabbing his hand and closing his fingers around the vial. “Drink. It.” 

There was a moment of silence before he tilted his head back against the pillows and swallowed the potion in one gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing. You could almost immediately see the pallor of his skin fading as the medicine made its way through his bloodstream, and although you knew he would never admit it, he gave a breath of relief.

“Better?” You sighed. You didn’t exactly know why you had gone out of your way in a snowstorm to help a man you didn’t know, but you figured that he wasn’t going to thank you for it. It didn’t matter as you believed your job as a healer didn’t need the gratifications of thanks, but you hoped that you wouldn’t find yourself in a situation that would end up with you killed, or worse, lectured by Jack. 

“Why did you take me here?” The man’s tone was demanding, almost accusing, but you shrugged it off. After years of healing, irate patients didn’t bother you. 

“I’m a healer,” you pointed out. You assumed he thought you as a witch, given the earlier comment. “I help people, regardless of if I know them or if they know me.” 

“You’re from Eichenfort?” He asked, suspicion still laced in his words. 

You shook your head. “I’m from Overshire, I work under the king. I was in Eichenfort for research.” 

Silence fell over the two of you, the only sounds in the room coming from the crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace. You turned to get settled in your bedroll for the night but stopped in your tracks at the sound of his voice. 

“Thank you, I guess.” 

You looked back to see him turned away, his face impassive and glowing in the dim light.

“What’s your name?” You asked gently, placing your hands on your hips.

There was another pause before he sighed. “Gabriel. Yours?” 

You answered easily, and when you didn’t hear a response you shook your head and knew that the conversation was over. 


	2. chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *warning: very mild attempted rape*

You woke up to the sound of retching.

Blinking the grogginess out of your eyes, you threw back your blanket and climbed onto your feet, on autopilot towards the washroom.

In the dim candlelight, you could make out the outline of Gabriel’s figure hunched over the toilet, the tiny room filled with his heavy breathing. You hastily grabbed the chamberstick from the shelf and brought it to the ground next to him, your hand reaching to rub his back.

“Don’t...touch,” he half gasped, half growled. “‘M fine…” 

You could hardly contain your eye roll as you examined his face, pale and clammy. His curly hair stuck to his forehead in strands, and his knuckles were white where they gripped onto the edge of the toilet. 

“Can you stand?” You asked, backing up to give him some space. You were already thinking of any remedies that you could give him: ginger for the nausea, milk thistle for detoxification. It didn’t help that you had no idea how he ended up in those woods, ill but with no physical injuries. The fact that he never seemed to warm up under your touch was also a mystery.

Slowly, but surely, Gabriel staggered to his feet and you helped him back to the bed despite his protests. By the time you got him under the covers he was baring his teeth at you in annoyance, but it didn’t phase you one bit.

Colicky men were no stranger to you: it seemed that it was a universal thing to refuse medical treatment in favour of appearing tough, but you had all the patience in the world. It didn’t mean that it didn’t annoy you, though, but you didn’t think anything would make you angrier than the time that Jack split his forehead open during training and waited three days to tell you.

Standing quietly, you went to fetch the candle and brought it back to the nightstand, watching the flame illuminate the pallor of his skin. You made your way to the saddle bags at the foot of the fireplace and fished out your waterskin along with the few medicinal resources you had on you at all times. It wasn’t nearly enough to last you more than three days, and you sincerely hoped that the snowstorm would let up soon for you to collect more.

You got to work, first pouring half the water into a kettle and placing it on the still-warm coals to heat it up before turning your attention to the herbs you had. The ginger was peeled and chopped to add to the water, but you had to grind the milk thistle in your pestle and mortar into a fine dust. 

Grabbing the mortar and the remaining water, you made your way back to the bed and handed the bowl off to Gabriel, who looked at it suspiciously.

“Milk thistle,” you told him. “It detoxifies your liver, so it’ll speed up whatever your body was trying to get rid of. It’s bitter, though, so you’ll want to drink water, but _slowly_. Or you’ll just end up throwing it back up.” 

There was a pause as Gabriel’s eyes flickered from you to the bowl in his hands, and you raised an eyebrow in wait. 

He gave an irritated sigh and tilted the bowl up, emptying the contents into his awaiting mouth and immediately giving a grimace at the taste. You nudged the waterskin towards him and he took it, slowly washing down the bitter herb per your instructions. 

“Fuck,” he gasped. “That tastes fucking horrible.” 

You cringed at his language but shrugged, grabbing the mortar from him and going back to the fireplace to check on the kettle. Sparing a bit of the hot water, you rinsed out the remnants of the milk thistle before placing the ginger in and filling the mortar up. You carefully took the steaming bowl back to Gabriel and hastily blew on it to cool it down.

“I’m not a child.” Gabriel growled. “You don’t have to blow on it for me.” 

It was obvious that he was feeling much better, seeing that he had the energy to be unpleasant towards you at any chance he got. You ignored him and pressed the bowl back into his hand, watching him with an unamused glare until he sipped at the tea.

You remained by his side until he finished all of it, taking the bowl and setting it onto the nightstand.

“So,” you said, folding your arms across the chest. “Are you going to tell me what happened to you?” 

He immediately scowled, turning away from you in childish petulance. “None of your business.” Gabriel said brusquely. 

“I dug you out of the snow.”

“So you keep saying.”

“I took a Hippocratic oath to help people.”

“Well then take it back.”

You gave a frustrated growl, snatching the bowl off the nightstand and chucking it into the basin with a bit more force than you intended. Moving to the window, you peered out the curtains and hoped to see a light dusting of snow coming from the sky. What you saw, however, was complete white; flurries of huge snowflakes raining down hard and completely obscuring your vision. The woods next to the inn were barely distinguishable in the snowstorm, and you knew that it would take days, if not a week, for it to clear up.

Leaning your forehead against the cool glass, you prayed to any God out there that they’d get you out of this inn with your wits still about you.

-x-x-x-

“It’s a deathwish.” 

You rolled your eyes at Gabriel, who was still confined to the bed at your orders. Adjusting your cloak around you, you made sure everything fit snugly before pulling on your boots. 

“I’ll only be out there for half an hour, tops.” You pointed out, throwing your hood over your head. "What do you think I'm going to heal you with if I don't have any supplies?"

It was a few days after his vomiting episode, and as predicted you had run out of your remedies. The innkeeper had told you that you were more than welcome to help yourself to the ginger from the kitchen, but you still had to go out looking for the milk thistle and other supplies that were running far too low for comfort. 

So far, your treatment was going well, but you still kept Gabriel in bed as much as you could. For the last couple of days, he talked to you only when asked to, and turned hostile when you pressed him for more answers. It wasn’t ideal, especially when you were both cooped up in the small room with so much tension in the air, but there wasn’t much you could do about it.

“No one asked you to, but if you want to go out in that, be my guest,” Gabriel snorted. “I’ll be sure to look for your frozen body when the storms die down.”

Scoffing, you grabbed your pack and knife, tucking the weapon into your boot before turning on your heel and leaving the room. The wood creaked with every step you took, but there were very few people out and about. You bade the innkeeper goodbye and braced yourself for the cold weather when you exited the inn.

To say that it was freezing was an underestimate, the chill stung your nose and cheeks the moment you stepped out, and you shivered underneath your cloak. You guessed that you should have been thankful that the snow had lightened to a light sprinkle, but the cold was already beginning to make your teeth chatter. Hoping that walking would warm you up, you headed for the forest, grunting with effort every time you had to wrench your boot from the deep snow. 

It took you ten minutes to reach the edge of the woods, and you were unsure how you were going to find any milk thistle underneath the blanket of white. The amount of snow on the ground lessened underneath the trees, but you still had to disturb the powder with your boot to unearth any potential herbs hiding below.

Luckily, you found a good patch of milk thistle that had survived the bitter frosts, the plant itself stiff with cold but still alive. You bent down and began to harvest them, and was so absorbed in your methodical work that you failed to notice the shift of snow from behind you. It wasn’t until you heard the distinct sound of a steel weapon being drawn from a sheath that you stilled, your heart thumping in your chest. You whirled around, trying to force the panic down as you came face to face with three men, all sporting a scabbard of sorts. 

“Well what do we have here?” The man in the middle snickered, a wild glint in his eye as he surveyed you up and down. You shuddered at the hungry look in his gaze, your feet already itching to make a run for it. 

“A little deer among the woods, are ya?” The tallest one laughed, twirling his sword in his hand. “Don’t you know there are wolves around?” 

“I have no business with you,” you said firmly, hoping that your voice didn’t shake. “If you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.” 

Holding your cloak tighter to you, you started to pass them but was promptly shoved by the third man onto the snow, your back hitting the soft bank with a thud.

“I don’t know, it’s been three days cooped up in that cabin and we’re a little bored, aren’t we gentlemen?” The third man jeered, snow crunching underneath his boot as he made his way towards you. 

Your heart raced as they advanced on you, and you backpedaled, whipping out your small knife and growling at them like a feral cat. “Leave me _alone_ ,” you hissed, holding your weapon in front of you.

They began to laugh at the sight of your weapon, the dagger looking like a joke compared to their long scabbards. 

“Baby deer has some fangs, it seems,” the tall one chuckled, his fingertips toying with his scabbard casually. “Let’s see if she still has any when I have her screaming--”

He lunged down to grab you, and out of pure instinct you slashed at him with a knife, earning a pained yell and a splatter of blood on the snow. 

He cradled his hand in his arm, the cocky joy in his expression replaced by one of malice. “You fucking bitch,” he snarled, pouncing for you once again. 

You brought your hand up to attack him again but felt your wrist caught in a vice-like grip. The two other men had made their way around you and were now holding you down firmly, and with your arms restrained you had no way of blocking the stinging slap against your cheek. 

Your head was wrenched to the side with the force, your vision swimming in front of you as you tried to regain your senses. Before you could shake the distortion away, one of them swung their boot towards you, the toe of their shoe colliding hard with your stomach. You let out a cry of pain, trying to curl your body inwards as you struggled to draw in breath. 

The tall man knelt in front of you, taking your chin roughly in his hands and baring his yellow teeth. You could feel the warm wetness of his blood smear onto your jaw. “You fucking bitch, I’m going to fucking ruin you and gut you like a fucking animal.” He sneered. 

You worked up as much saliva as you could in your mouth, your eyes never leaving him as you spat at his face. Steeling yourself for the sure torture that was about to come, you forced yourself to not look away when he swore again and grabbed the hem of your cloak. 

The moment he wrenched your cape open, a black cloud of smoke hurtled by you, colliding with the man and knocking him to the ground. The two others let you go in surprise, and you immediately backpedaled and took cover behind a tree as they rushed to defend their comrade. 

Watching from your vantage point, you could hardly believe your eyes when you saw a limb-like tendril explode from the cloud, grabbing the middle man around the neck and slamming him against the tree trunk with such force that the wood cracked from the impact. 

The men’s attempt to slash at the vapour proved to be fruitless, the curl of smog twirling itself around one of the scabbards and turning it on the wielder, the blade landing with a thunk to the tall man’s chest. The last man had the sense to run, abandoning his weapon and supplies as he tripped through the snow. 

Your eyes widened in horror when the smoke began to transform and condense into the figure of a man, and you could see the back of Gabriel’s broad body as he gripped the neck of the bandit and twisted it with a deafening crack.


	3. chapter three

You could hardly notice how frozen and exhausted you were; not when your mind was so full of worry, confusion and fear. 

The shadowy mist that had formed into Gabriel wasn’t— _ couldn’t _ — be real, yet you knew for a fact that you had just witnessed it. 

Your legs were numb with cold as you tripped and stumbled through the snow drifts, Gabriel’s dead weight on your shoulders dragging you down with every step. More snow wormed its way into your boots, and you caught your foot on a root underneath, dropping to your hands and knees with a cry.

Gabriel’s body was limp next to you, but you could hardly find the energy to keep yourself going. The flurry was starting to pick back up and you knew that it’d start getting dark in no time—making your way through the woods in a storm with no torch was a sure way of dying.

You had been petrified approaching Gabriel after he had collapsed—his figure not unlike how you first came to find him, but now with three other lifeless bodies littered around him. The snow was stained scarlet, big puddles of crimson spreading their tendrils like poison in veins. 

Panic had coursed through you when you tentatively touched his exposed skin, an icy chill underneath your fingers so intense that it made you immediately search for a pulse. For a while, you had believed him dead, until you felt the thump of his blood in his neck. Twenty heart beats per minute. He had a heartbeat of twenty beats per minute, yet he was still alive, and had been still alive for the past hour that you had been dragging him out of the woods.

Your limbs trembled as you struggled to get yourself back onto your feet, your teeth grit in determination. Gabriel’s cloak was soaked through, and if you didn’t get him back to the inn and in front of the fire, he would for sure die. You were equally as sodden, but you were moving and panting with exertion—although you felt as frozen as a block of ice, your blood was still pumping vigorously through your veins and sweat trickled down your neck. 

A stinging sensation bit at your fingers when you tried to flex them, your fingertips turning blue. Desperately, you tried to blow hot air onto them with chattering teeth, but it was so cold that your breath evaporated the moment it hit the icy air. 

Gabriel was going to die out here, and if you didn’t move fast, so would you. 

But you couldn’t will yourself to keep going.

Your muscles burned with exhaustion and your limbs felt like lead. There was no way in hell that you were going to drag Gabriel’s two-hundred pound body out of the forest in the thick snow, and you would die before you abandoned someone to die.

Teeth chattering, you tried your best to press yourself as close to him as you could, icy clouds blowing out of your blue lips. Your last thought before you blacked out was if someone would know to write to Jack. 

-x-x-x-

You chewed on your lower lip anxiously as you paced back and forth at the foot of the bed. 

It had been three days since you had been found at the edge of the woods, both of you half dead and frozen to the bone. It had been the innkeeper’s husband, who you learned to be called Kit, that had come looking for you after his wife had been worried about your long absence. 

You had woken up back at the inn, both you and Gabriel swaddled tightly in blankets with a large fire roaring in front of you. Kit had said you were lucky; you hadn’t lost any limbs to frostbite, but it still didn’t stop fierce blisters developing on your fingers. Gabriel, shockingly, had sustained no wounds other than the fact that he was still unconscious.

The events in the woods still rattled you to the core, the memories forever seared in your brain no matter how many days passed. You could still smell the iron tang of blood, could still envision the cloud of smoke and the way Gabriel’s muscles rippled as he broke the neck of the last looter.

Involuntarily, you visibly shuddered and willed the images in your mind away. You wanted explanations, yes, but you weren’t going to get any when Gabriel might as well have been a million miles away.

Although he hadn’t eaten, drank or moved in the last three days, he was remarkably unchanged. Nothing about his physique or skin gave any indication to his malnutrition, and your mind began to wander of just what possibilities could explain this phenomenon.

You sighed as you continued to pace, a throbbing pain in your left temple causing you to wince and pause in your ministrations. Despite having been extremely lucky, your body still took a toll from your short stint in the woods. 

“I...told you so.”

Your head snapped up at the sound of Gabriel’s raspy voice, your feet on autopilot towards him. You snatched up the cup of water you kept by his bedside at all times, handing it to him which he took weakly.

Stunned, you stared at him in disbelief and watched as he drank from the cup, looking seemingly normal if not just fatigued. 

“How are you feeling?” You asked, taking the empty mug and setting it back down on the nightstand.

Gabriel winced at the volume of your voice, his eyes squinting against the sunlight that filtered through the sheer curtains. “Like I got run over by a horse,” he muttered, rubbing his face roughly with his hand. 

You noticed that there were no blemishes—no blisters from the cold or marks from when he had killed those three men. You supposed that maybe you should have felt some sort of fear, but you couldn’t bring yourself to feel anything other than concern. 

“You should have stayed home!” You blurted aloud, unable to stop yourself.

Gabriel paused, giving you a bewildered and offended look. “Me? Stay home?”

“You were already ill,” you scolded. “It was freezing out, you should’ve stayed—” 

“Oh my God, I can’t even believe you’re saying this to me—“ 

“—almost had hypothermia, I thought we would  _ die—“ _

“—I  _ saved  _ you, did you forget?” 

Your mouth snapped shut at his scowl, a huff leaving you as you crossed your arms over your chest. “Of course I didn’t forget.” 

Gabriel snorted, throwing his blankets back and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “Figures that you don’t even thank me and instead nag me the moment I wake up.” 

You were about to protest when he stood abruptly, and you let out a small yelp when he immediately staggered forward. Instinctively, you wrapped your arms around him to steady him, your feet skidding at his weight pressed against yours.

“Be careful,” you gasped, pushing him back down onto the bed. “You haven’t eaten or drank anything in three days, you need to rest.” 

Gabriel grumbled, pushing you away slightly as he sat with his elbows on his knees. He looked dejected almost, and you knew you should give him some time to recuperate, but the question was nagging at the back of your head relentlessly. 

“Do you… do you remember what happened?” You asked quietly, watching tentatively as he stiffened at the question. 

Silence filled the room, and you began to wonder if he had even heard you but he gave a growl of annoyance. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said with a finality. 

You halted before uneasily going to sit next to him. “I can help you,” you reminded him. “I just want you to tell me what happened.” 

Gabriel’s head whipped around, his teeth bared in anger. You looked at him, horrified, staring as the whites of his eyes bled red. 

“I don’t need your help.” He snarled, his body looming over yours. You scuttled backwards away from him, unsure if you were imagining the wisps of smoke that radiated off him like steam. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” you said slowly, trying to steady your voice despite the fear you felt. “But something is  _ wrong,  _ Gabriel, and I can help you if you just tell me what it is.” 

Heavy silence filled the room, and you watched as he closed his eyes, looking away in irritation and turmoil. Eventually, he turned back to face you, his gaze back to normal and a defeated expression on his face. 

Gabriel sighed vehemently, and you couldn’t help but hear the pain and anger in it. 

“You can’t… you can’t help me.” 

He sounded so unlike himself, vulnerable and despondent. 

Reaching out tentatively, you took his hand in yours, your fingers curling back in surprise when Gabriel jerked away. 

He immediately scowled and you knew that the defensive guard he usually adopted was back up. Without so much as a word to you, Gabriel got up from the bed, his knee knocking into yours as he stormed out of the room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello allll, my apologies for the lackluster chapter ;( I had a really hard time writing this, and I've been busy with work and school and havent had a chance to really work on this. Please forgive any delays in the next coming updates<3


	4. chapter four

For the next four days, you didn’t see or hear from Gabriel.

It wasn’t how you wanted things to go, but you had to remind yourself one night after pacing for hours that he was a grown man who, technically, was a stranger. 

You didn’t know his last name, his age, or whether or not he had any family around; all you knew was that something was most definitely wrong with him and that you were going to get to the bottom of it no matter what happened.

A relieved sigh escaped you when you peered out the window--it was almost over a week now of clear weather, and although the snow was still deeper than you’d like, it meant that you’d be able to start heading home. Jack was probably going rabid by now, and you prayed to God that Ana would be by his side for some semblance of reassurance. 

You couldn’t help but give a small laugh at the thought of the two; a pair so close to one another while simultaneously being at each other’s throats every day. It had been over a month now that you were gone, and you missed the castle and its’ familiar walls, and most of all you missed your beloved study where all your books were surely collecting dust.

Lost in your thoughts, you meandered through the small room and set yourself to the task of packing everything up. You decided that you’d leave at daybreak tomorrow, Gabriel or not. Overshire needed you more than he did, and besides, how were you going to help someone who sniped at you at every chance he got?

Opening up your pack, you took a mental note of your belongings and supplies. The ride wouldn’t be long, four days in the drifts tops, but it never hurt to be prepared. 

“Going somewhere?”

You shrieked as you heard the rumble of Gabriel’s voice from behind you, the hair on the back of your neck standing up. Leaping to your feet, you rounded on him with a frown on your face.

It didn’t escape you that he had left on bad terms, and you could vividly remember the fear that coursed through you when his eyes bled red. He was highly dangerous, you knew, but for some reason you couldn’t shake him off your conscious. You also knew that him coming back was a sign in itself. He needed your help, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get it by being stubborn.

“Don’t sneak up on people like that,” you scowled. Once the shock of seeing him wore off, you noticed that he looked different.

Examining him, you saw that he had gone and acquired a new set of clothes. Still completely black, unsurprisingly, but the tunic fit across his broad shoulders nicely and his linen pants were crisp and perfectly tailored. 

You had a million questions in your brain--where had he gone? How had he bought those clothes? You shook your head when you realized that none of those questions were of importance, all that mattered was…

“Are you alright?” 

Gabriel’s eyes flashed at your inquiry, and you prepared yourself for his typical prickly response. However, he anxiously rubbed at the back of his neck and shuffled his feet. For once, he looked afraid. 

Every fibre in your being wanted you to be sympathetic, to be the kind healer that everyone knew you as, but you couldn’t help but hold a small grudge against him. Here you were, spending all your time with a complete stranger to nurse them back to health only for you to be subject to snide remarks and a quick temper. You knew that your mentor back home would chastise you for being so petty, but you weren’t going to allow yourself to be bullied by him any longer. 

“Is this where you tell me to mind my own business?” You said dryly.

When he didn’t answer, you gave a small scoff and slipped by him to head to the bathroom. Before you could make it, a large hand closed around your upper arm, stopping you. 

You turned calmly, surprised to see Gabriel so close to you, his large frame towering over yours as he sighed. 

“I’m sorry for being an ass,” he mumbled, his hazel eyes closing in a wince, as if what he was about to say was physically paining him. “But I… I need your help.” 

Narrowing your eyes at him, you stayed silent. You weren’t going to exhaust yourself trying to wheedle out every little answer out of him anymore; if he needed your help he’d tell you what he needed you to do himself.

His inner turmoil was evident in the annoyed growl he gave, and you figured that he’d retreat to his usual moody self, but he surprised you when he squared his shoulders and fixed his gaze on you.

“I have a curse on me.” 

If Gabriel’s intention was to shock you speechless, he had done it. You had heard of curses from long ago, but in the present day there were far and few witches that had the power to cast them. There was no denying that your first thought to what was bothering him was maybe that he was a wanted criminal, or that he had a vengeful ex-girlfriend back at home, but him admitting to having a curse was _not_ what you were expecting. 

“I-- what?” You spluttered out. 

Gabriel scowled, rolling his eyes at you. “Are you deaf? A curse. Did you think I was born being able to transform into some freaky flying mist?”

You were immediately on the defensive, giving a snort of disbelief. “Did I think that your mother was part wraith? No, of course I didn’t. Don’t insult me like that.”

“I thought that the king employed qualified healers who studied this kind of stuff.”

“ _Witches_ study curses, and I’m not a witch.”

“I know that, if you were a witch I wouldn’t have shacked up with you--”

“ _Shacked up?_ I pulled you from the _snow_ , you ass--”

“Oh, here we go again! How many times are you going to mention--”

“Enough!” You shut your eyes in irritation, trying to ward off the headache that seemed to always be present when you were dealing with Gabriel. “I’ll help you, but you need to tell me what you did to bring on this curse, who did it, and what exactly it is.” 

He gave a huff of annoyance and gestured for you to sit on the bed. Whatever the story was, you were sure that it was going to be long. 

Getting yourself comfortable, you leaned back into the pillows and watched him patiently. 

Gabriel let out a deep breath, running his hand down his clean-shaven face with his gaze focused out the window.

“I came to Eichentown five years ago. I was born higher in the north, but my town was small and suffering financially,” he began. “So I left to find a way to make money, and the easiest way to do it was petty criminal work. You know, stealing things and reselling them, taking small jobs from the petty townspeople who had husbands that cheated on them or had wives steal money, stuff like that.”

You nodded, unsurprised by his criminal confessions. His unbotheredness at being gone from his home for a long time meant that he had no ties. No family, no loved ones, only himself. It was common among criminals to operate alone, especially if their personality was anything like his. 

“Over time the small things were running low and didn’t fetch as high of a price, so I turned to bigger jobs. Stealing and conning the rich, and… even killing people sometimes.” Gabriel looked embarrassed when he admitted his wrongdoings, but you weren’t shocked. You had known from how quickly he had killed those bandits that he was experienced, and growing up close to the king meant that you were privy to the numerous crimes in the kingdom. 

“So who did you wrong to get this curse on you?” You asked.

He was quiet for a second before he turned his head to face you, hazel eyes set with determination and a flash of what you could only think of as malice.

“I don’t know her name; all the townspeople of Eichenfort know her as Mercy,” Gabriel said dryly. “Which is funny, because she has none.”

Mercy… 

The name was distinctly familiar, and you were scratching your head to try to remember who had mentioned her when you suddenly realized.

“Oh! I know her!” You blurted out.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at your exclamation. “I thought you said you weren’t a witch.”

You glared at him. “Just because she’s a witch doesn’t mean I am. I was in Eichenfortfor a research trip to meet up with another renowned healer. He introduced me to Mercy, who had some… interesting ideas for my studies.” 

Now that you thought about it, you had to admit that the witch’s present was odd. You didn’t know she was a witch back then, but you remembered the coldness of her smile and her vacant eyes when she spoke about the subjects she had experienced. And to think that Baptiste had spoken so highly about her…

“What did you do to piss her off?” You finally asked. 

Gabriel glowered at your bluntness, but straightened his back and sighed. “What do you think? I conned her thinking I could get away with it.” 

You couldn’t help but reach over and smack him on the back of the head for his foolishness. Witches were known to be cunning and ruthless--they took advantage of desperate people looking for miracles and cursed those who wronged them. You had no sympathy for Gabriel, who’s greed had clouded his common sense and judgement.

Rubbing his head, Gabriel gave you a petulant frown before clearing his throat. “As I was saying, I conned her and was halfway to Overshire until she found me in those blasted woods. I tried to run but she did her hocus pocus and next thing I know I wake up here feeling like hell.”

You sat up straighter, your interest piqued. There was a fifty percent chance that Gabriel would toss you out the window for asking, but you couldn’t help but be curious.

“So… what did you feel like?”

His lip twisted in distaste. “Feels like shit, if that’s what you’re wondering. It’s like… you feel yourself being pulled apart and being put back together all in the matter of a few seconds.”

You had witnessed and studied gruesome ways of dying and methods of torture, but Gabriel’s recount of his curse made you shudder inwardly. For your anatomy to tear itself apart only to stitch back together had to feel bad, no matter how little proof of injury there was.

“It isn’t constant, thank God, but when I’m angry or upset...it’s like I can’t control my body anymore. It’s like something’s living inside me that wants to tear me apart from inside out.” He finished with a whisper, a haunted look filling his expression. 

“Well,” you offered, trying to break the tense atmosphere, “with your oh-so sunny personality, it must happen often.” 

There was an uncomfortable silence that made you cringe silently, wondering if you had really taken it too far. You were about to apologize for sticking your foot in your mouth when Gabriel cracked a smile, the first of which you had seen on him.

He was really quite handsome, with his rugged facial hair and the clean clothes that fit his broad body so nicely. His good looks were only amplified when he finally got rid of the constant petulant scowl on his face and allowed himself to loosen up a bit.

“Stop staring at me,” Gabriel finally grumbled, the bed creaking as he got up. “Where are you going, anyway?”

You finally remembered that you had planned out your trip back home and had packed up most of your belongings that now sat in the saddle bags waiting to be moved. You weren’t sure where to go next in helping Gabriel, whether it would be to return to Overshire to take a look at your library or to head to Eichenfort again to confront Mercy.

“I’m not sure,” you admitted. “I’m long overdue back at the castle; Jack is probably going berserk right now, but I don’t want to leave you hanging if you’re going to Eichenfort.”

Gabriel shook his head. “No point, I already went to track down the witch but she’s disappeared.” 

_Hm. So that explains where he was for the last four days._

“So, is Jack your boyfriend?”

The question was so abrupt that it nearly made you choke on your saliva. It was a question you had gotten plenty over the years, but for some reason talking about it with Gabriel made you squirm in your seat. 

“I-- _no_ ,” you spluttered before clearing your throat. “Sorry, you might know him as, ahem, _King Morrison_.”

“Ahh, so you rub elbows with the royals, huh?” Gabriel mocked, irritating you further. 

“Well I told you a million times, I work for the crown.” You seethed. 

“I thought you were some lowly healer, not someone who is on a first name basis with the King. I guess it means I get some cushy accommodation in the castle, no?” 

You cocked your eyebrow. “What are you even talking about?”

Now that Gabriel’s iron defence had cracked, he seemed more inclined to grin at you mischievously. “If we want to get to Overshire soon, we better head out early in the morning. It’s a long ride, you know.” 

You paused for a second, not knowing if your ears were deceiving you. As prepared for the idea as you were, you did not expect Gabriel to willingly go with you back to Overshire so quickly, and the thought of travelling alongside him for three days made you groan.

“Rest up, buttercup,” Gabriel smirked. “It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

Your eyes widened when he reached for the hem of his shirt, and you screwed your eyes shut as he pulled it cleanly off his torso. When Gabriel tossed the item of clothing at your head on his way to the washroom, you silently glowered in the dark, under the linen, and wondered if Jack would prosecute you for murder by poison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi y'all thank you for being so patient!! i think from here on out the story is going to start quickly progressing :)


	5. chapter five

It turned out that leaving the cozy inn after staying for so long was more difficult than you had thought. The innkeeper had fretted for hours, and after many reassurances she bid the two of you farewell with a parcel of food to last you on your journeys. 

“You enjoy this, don’t you?” 

You rolled your eyes for the umpteenth time at Gabriel’s petulant whine from below. He walked alongside you while you sat securely in the saddle of your horse, his large hand gripping the reins harder than he should have. 

It had only been fifteen minutes since you had left the inn, and he had already pointed out the fact that his feet hurt, and that, because he was twice your weight, it was more tiresome for him to be the one walking. 

“They gave us so much, Gabriel, I’m not going to take a horse from them as well,” you chided, reaching forward to pat your steed on the side of it’s snowy neck. 

Kit had tried desperately to get you to take one of his steeds for the ride home, and despite Gabriel’s nudges from behind you, you vehemently declined. 

“You’re not the one who’ll be walking for three days,” he shot back. 

Sighing, you dug your heels gently into the sides of your horse, bringing it to a stop. Gabriel looked up at you with a scowl.

“Why are we stopping?” He frowned.

“So you stop being a baby. Get up, I’m sure we’ll both fit.” You scooted yourself forward on the saddle, leaving a gap behind you just big enough for him to squeeze in. The extra weight would mean that you’d have to move slowly, but all Gabriel had other than himself was a professionally crafted bow and arrow on his back that he had gotten from his three day stint in Eichenfort. 

He continued to stare, eyebrows raised with a look of disbelief on his face. “You want me,” Gabriel clarified, “to ride on one horse,  _ with you _ ?”

You scoffed, not bothering to reply before you nudged your horse forward into a canter. You could hear the spluttered cries from Gabriel, but you continued on, weaving through the trees while his voice became fainter and fainter.

Slightly smug and also slightly horrified that you had done such a thing, you started to wonder if you had taken it too far when you felt a rush of wind hit your back that pushed you forward.

“Leave me in the middle of the woods like that again and I’ll throw you in a river.” 

You let out a scream, the hairs on the back of your neck standing straight up when you heard the low cadences of Gabriel’s voice in your ear. Twisting around the best you could on a moving horse, you saw a glimpse of the scowl on his features as he sat behind you. 

“How the—” you spluttered, bringing your steed to a slow walk, “how the hell did you get up here? I thought the mist shit, that was only when you were angry!”

A satisfied smirk finally broke through Gabriel’s petulant expression, and his shoulders squared as he sat up proudly. “Found out while I was in Eichenfort that I can do my trick whenever I want to,” he said pompously, before adding with a sigh, “makes me feel a bit nauseous, though.”

You could hardly believe the audacity of this man, and it took every ounce of your moral fibre to not buck him off the back of your horse. 

“If you throw up on me,  _ I’ll  _ throw  _ you  _ into a river.” You rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to the road, fed up with the childishness of it all. Now that it’s load was heavier, your horse moved slowly through the woods, the sound of it’s hooves muted in the snow.

Silence fell over the two of you while you steadily made your way through the thick woods that bordered the next town closest to the inn. With the days being so short, you would have to find shelter sooner than you’d like, meaning that your initial three day trip may turn into four or five. The lengthier journey was better than risking being out in the woods in the dark, but you couldn’t help but feel giddy to return home. 

The saddle was a lot more snug than you had anticipated, and you embarrassingly began to notice every rise and fall of Gabriel’s chest against you as he breathed. Although your fingertips and your face were pink with cold, your back was warm with him and his thick cloak pressed against you. He had hardly touched you with his hands, keeping them firmly on the tops of his thighs. Whether or not it was because of respect or revulsion, you couldn’t tell.

“I’m hungry.”

Gabriel’s voice sounded ten times louder after the bout of silence, and you could only sigh, bringing your horse to a halt.

“I suppose we should eat something,” you conceded, your eyes squinting against the sun as you tried to gauge the time. It looked to be just after noon, and even with taking time to stop for a break you would reach the little town of Rialbury with time to spare. 

With a bit of finagling, you swung your leg over to one side, narrowly missing kicking your horse in the head, and climbed down from the saddle. You blushed everytime you leaned back into Gabriel, refusing to make eye contact until you had made it safely onto the ground. 

After Gabriel got down, you tied the reins of your horse to a nearby tree and started to rummage through the saddlebags. 

“What do you want?” You hummed distractedly, rifling through your provisions. “There’s dried fruit, bread, cheese…the innkeeper even packed a jug of milk, how sweet...”

It was embarrassing how long it took for you to realize that you were talking to yourself, and you immediately whirled around to find Gabriel, but was met with an empty clearing.

“Gabriel?” You called out, annoyed. “Where are you? Gabriel, this isn’t funny!” 

When he didn’t reply, you stomped into the centre of the clearing, your patience running thin. “Gabriel you better get your ass over here or I am  _ leaving without you!”  _

Panic started to course through you when your voice echoed in the trees, and a dozen thoughts began to flash through your mind. How could he have disappeared? He was right next to you…

Running the best you could in the snow, you made your way through the clearing and into the thicket of bushes, eyes focused for any sign of your travel companion. 

You let out a gasp when you felt the ground underneath you crumble slightly as you scrambled away from the edge of a ravine that you hadn’t seen through the undergrowth. Carefully, you peered over the cliff and sighed when you didn’t see anything but the frozen river twenty feet below.

“Where the hell have you been?” 

Whirling around, you came face to face with Gabriel, who was holding a dead fowl in his hand and wearing the angriest expression you had ever seen. 

You felt no fear or remorse, anger of your own bubbling up inside you. “Where have I been? I’ve been looking for your dumb ass! Where did you go? I’ve been calling your name!”

“I’m a grown man, thank you, and I left just as you told me the menu was bread and cheese to find something a bit more appetizing.” To emphasize his point, he lifted the bird up for you to see.

Rolling your eyes, you threw up your hands as you cocked your hip. “Well maybe if you said something, we wouldn’t be in this position right now. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if that witch stole your brains because—“ 

Your sentence was cut off with a yelp as you felt your weight shift, the sounds of gravel grinding against each other filling you with terror. You tried to pitch yourself forward, but the weight of your boot pushing against the loose earth crumbled it completely. 

Falling in mid-air was something you had never felt before, and you could hardly focus on the swooping feeling in your stomach when you were screaming. 

Wind whistled deafeningly in your ears and your arms and legs instinctively flailed, hoping to grab onto something,  _ anything. _

Screwing your eyes shut, you prepared for the inevitable crash that was about to come, and you tried to rationalize the fact that if you didn’t die from the impact, you’d be severely incapacitated. There was no good outcome, it was either you would have your brains splattered along the rocks or be too broken to move. 

You had just started to say your mental goodbyes when you felt a rush of wind yank you upwards forcefully, your hair stinging your face as you were catapulted back up into the sky. 

Not daring to open your eyes, you felt your body collide with a snowdrift, the icy chill doing nothing to calm your racing heart. Immediately, choked sobs burst out of you as your body curled inwards, the terror you felt quickly turning into hysterics. 

It wasn’t until you heard Gabriel shout your name that you peered up at him, his figure bleary through your teary eyes. His body still looked as if it was smoking, gentle wisps of black tendrils leaving his form and immediately evaporating in the winter air.

“Are you alright?” He demanded, grabbing ahold of your hands to pull them from your face. “Are you hurt anywhere?” 

There was blood on his hand from where he had gripped the fowl, but you could hardly care less. Without a second thought, you pushed up from where you were laying and threw your arms around his neck. 

You knew that your eyes and your nose were streaming and that you could barely speak an intelligible sentence, but the trauma from nearly falling to your death wracked your body with sobs. You could feel Gabriel hesitate and stiffen for a second before he brought you closer against him, his large hand encompassing the back of your head comfortingly. 

“It’s okay,” he said lowly against your ear. You could feel his back heave with every laboured breath. “Everything’s alright, I’ve got you.” 

-x-x-x-

It took twenty minutes before you had collected yourself, Gabriel having ripped a portion of his shirt sleeve off for you to dry your face with. 

He had quickly built a fire to keep the two of you warm, and had begun to deftly clean the fowl to cook on the pit he had fashioned. The two of you sat in silence while he worked with only the sounds of his knife filling the clearing. 

“Gabriel?” You croaked, your voice still hoarse from your episode.

He grunted, not looking up from what he was doing. 

“Thank you,” you whispered, holding the cloak he had draped over you closer to yourself.

Gabriel finally looked up, his hands stilling as his eyes locked with yours. There was a moment of silence before he shook his head with a scoff. “You’re an idiot,” he mumbled, setting down his knife. 

You were hardly in the position to argue with him, so you sat quietly while he got up onto his feet. 

“Are you cold?”

It was almost inhuman, how quickly and quietly he could move towards you. You shook your head and sighed. 

“Just in shock, I think.” You said, fidgeting under his intense gaze. “I have some valerian in my pack, it’ll help in some hot water.” 

Gabriel let out a dry chuckle, and with a surprisingly gentle hand, he knelt down and readjusted the cloak until it was fastened snugly around you. “You’ve got a tea for just about anything, don’t you?” 

You let out a small smile as you nodded, and another bout of stillness passed. 

“Gabriel… I just want to know,” you ventured, careful to avoid his piercing glance. When he didn’t reply, you continued, squirming in your seat. “Why do you put your life on the line to save me? Like with the bandits, and just now… I… I just don’t get it.” 

He sighed, his large shoulders dropping as he ran a hand through his damp curls. You began to think that he wasn’t going to answer the question until he shot you a small smirk. 

“Well, you did get me out of the snow that one day, and I suppose I should return the favour.” 

And despite the aftershock of the fear that still made your hands shake, and the fact that you probably should have been terrified of the half man, half wraith that sat in front of you, you laughed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly no words for how sorry I am for the long break between chapters :( I hit another funk. Thank you to all who leave comments telling me you binged the story in one night, it makes me blush uwu


	6. chapter six

The two of you reached Rialbury a little later than expected, mostly due to the fact that Gabriel largely disbelieved that you were fit to travel after just a quick lunch. Only after stretching for twenty minutes, eating past your fill and drinking a quart of water were you allowed to get back onto your horse, and by the time you had reached the sizable town it was just starting to get dark.

“See anywhere to stay?” You turned your head slightly back to ask Gabriel while simultaneously making sure that your horse didn’t trample over anyone on the cobblestone streets. 

“How about you look with your own two eyes right in front of you, genius.” 

You scowled when you felt Gabriel’s large hand rest atop your head, his fingers forcing you back forward. It wasn’t that you were blind, but you could tell that the brightly lit inn right down the path was over your budget.

Well decorated and bursting with people, the first floor bar was raucous and packed like sardines. It was obviously the main source of entertainment for the townspeople, and you knew that with its well-kept stables and uniformed waiters it would cost you a pretty penny, even for one night. 

It wasn’t that Jack didn’t pay you well, but you had only brought enough to cover your expenses for a month of travel with a cushion. Thankfully, Baptiste had taken good care of you in Eichenfort, but with the weeks-long stay during the snowstorm, your pouch felt too light for comfort. 

“Quit being a penny pincher, my ass is frozen and I’m tired.” Gabriel groaned. He gave a swift smack to your horse’s rear, nudging it into a gallop towards the three-story inn. 

“Gabriel!” You cried, jolted backwards into his chest from the sudden acceleration. He ignored you until you came to a slow stop in front of the grounds where he slid down from his seat a little too fluidly. 

“Welcome, sir, would you like me to board your horse for you?” A polite looking stable hand came up immediately and bowed slightly at Gabriel, who in turn tugged the reins from your hands before handing them to him. 

Before you could protest, he turned to you and secured a firm grip around your waist, lifting you off the horse like a rag doll before setting you onto the ground. Blushing wildly, you could hardly form a sentence while Gabriel unloaded the packs. He handed the stable hand a gold coin, and all your objections were brushed aside as he steered you by your shoulders into the bustling inn.

“Gabriel, what the hell are you thinking,” you hissed, thoroughly vexed by the way he had just manhandled you into the building. “We’re here for a pit stop, not a three day vacation. I’m sure there’s other accommodation here that won’t cost me an arm and a leg.” 

He simply scoffed at your annoyance, fumbling around in one of the packs to withdraw a velvet pouch. “Life of a criminal pays well, surprisingly,” he said smugly, brushing by you to approach the pretty barmaid that eyed him appreciatively as he sauntered up.

You could hardly stand to watch the girl lean over the sticky bartop with her generous breasts thrust toward him, your eyes rolling in disgust when you noticed Gabriel’s wandering eyes. 

Figuring that Gabriel would take his precious time flirting, you decided to occupy yourself by looking around. In the midst of the crowd, your attention was caught by a bulletin board filled with a mismatch of job offerings, lost and found items and, at the very bottom left corner, a piece of parchment with a very, very recognizable man.

Marching up to the counter, you sidled up next to Gabriel and elbowed him deep in the side, slapping a sickly smile on your face as you turned to him.

“What’s taking so long,  _ honey?”  _ You simpered, mentally feeling yourself gag with the high pitch your voice was taking. Immediately you could feel daggers pointed at you from across the table, but you ignored it and stared at Gabriel’s confused gaze. 

Cursing his stupidity, you turned your forced grin to the barmaid, batting your lashes for added effect. “If you don’t mind, sweetheart, me and my husband are very tired and would like to get the key to our room. Please.” 

She narrowed her eyes at you, and you started to panic for a second in fear that she had realized who exactly she had been talking to. Fortunately, she finally let out an incredulous scoff, slapping a key onto the counter before swiping six gold coins into her apron and bustling off. 

Ignoring Gabriel’s confused protests, you grabbed him by the crook of the arm and dragged him up the stairs to the sleeping quarters of the tavern.

“Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?” He spluttered, hiking the packs higher onto his shoulder as he trailed behind you. Without answering, you quickly found the door to your room and deftly unlocked it, pushing both Gabriel and your luggage inside before securing the latch behind you. 

The moment he stumbled into the room you glowered at him before giving him a hearty shove on the shoulder. It didn’t quite have the effect that you wanted; Gabriel barely moved an inch. 

“Ow! What gives?” He complained, rubbing the spot where you had pushed him. 

“When you went to Eichenfort, what did you do?” You demanded, trying to keep your voice down despite your annoyance.

“I went to talk to that witch, I told you already!” Gabriel hissed back. 

Rummaging in the back pocket of your trousers, you withdrew the crumpled parchment paper and unfolded it before thrusting it into his face.

“Wanted! Gabriel, we are literally travelling across the fricken’ kingdom right now and you are  _ wanted. _ ”

He stared at the poster blankly before taking it from your hands, his thick brows furrowed. You thought that he’d vehemently deny having anything to do with it, but all he had to say was:

“Gods, they could use some better artists, couldn't they?” 

You could hardly contain the pterodactyl screech that nearly burst out of you. 

Instead, you marched off into the next room which ended up being the bathroom, and, in your fury, you supposed that you could at least thank Gabriel for spending the extra money on a private washtub.

-x-x-x-

You tried your best to ignore the incessant knocking that occurred every three minutes at the bathroom door, but after hearing your name continuously chanted, you were ready to rip your ears off.

Sinking lower into the hot water, you sighed as you felt every ache of the day melt away. 

Ever since you had met Gabriel, your predictable and mundane life had turned into one where you were cornered by thieves and rescued from falling off cliffs. It was a strange idea to think that just a few hours ago, you had been near death for the second time in a month and had been saved by the same person both times.

There wasn’t a word to describe your and Gabriel’s relationship. Friends seemed too personal, yet you held a bond closer than acquaintances or mere travel partners. Despite the numerous headaches you got from him, you felt...safe in his presence. And there was the confusion and apprehensiveness that muddled you about what to do with his curse. 

You had no business or experience with them, and if you were being honest, a little out of your depth. 

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t notice the jingle of the doorknob until Gabriel threw it wide open, your small knife in his hand.

Immediately, you turned away from the door, your face beet red as you tried your best to cover yourself up with your arms.

“What the hell!” You sputtered, twisting your head to look over your shoulder. 

He scowled at you, tossing the knife onto the stone basin with a clatter. “Are you deaf? I thought you drowned, I’ve been knocking for an eternity.” 

“Have you entertained the idea that maybe I don’t want to talk to you?” You rebuked, huffing in annoyance. 

Gabriel rolled his eyes before throwing his hands up in the air in defeat. “Okay, so maybe I did more than just find that witch in Eichenfort, but I didn’t know that knob would go off and report me!”

Slapping a hand to your forehead with a groan, you could hardly believe that, after having just been cursed for conning the wrong person, Gabriel had gone and conned someone else. 

“What did you do, you idiot?” 

“Don’t call me that—it wasn’t even that big of a deal, a couple hundred gold coins and he goes running to the watchmen.” 

“You scammed a poor sod of a  _ couple hundred gold coins?”  _ You spluttered. “That’s why you spent all this money in this dumb inn!” 

Gabriel glared at you. “I figured it was favorable over some stable tavern, and speaking of which,  _ why are we still sharing a room _ ?”

You set your jaw, having just about had it with him. “ _ Because  _ you and that barmaid were about to make babies before I intervened. You should be thanking me, I just saved you another six of your dirty gold coins.” 

“They’re not dirty, I’m just trying to make an honest living—“

“Oh  _ please _ , weapons traders make a more honest living than you do, at least they offer a product—“

“You’re just mad that I’m smarter and more charming than you!”

“As if!” 

Without waiting for his response, you scooped up a handful of water and tossed it right in his face. 

-x-x-x-

The two of you left the inn early in the morning, still frosty after last night’s tiff. You supposed that you should have been relieved that the barmaid hadn’t been up to showcase her breasts again, but you were so annoyed that you thought about leaving Gabriel there to look for as long as he wanted. 

It was chillier than it had been for the last week, and you had remembered that there were no more towns in between Rialbury and Overshire. Usually, it would have been a full day’s ride, but with the heavy snow and fast approaching evenings, you’d have to set up camp somewhere for the night. Thankfully, Gabriel had found a general store nearby and purchased a tent. You had to promise not to call his earnings ‘dirty money’ for him to allow you to sleep in it.

“I didn’t know you had a tattoo.”

You raised your eyebrows at Gabriel’s remark, taken aback by his sudden comment. The embarrassment still lingered from having him walk in to you bathing, but he could have hardly seen anything other than your back and hair.

“Yes, all those who work under the king receive one once they complete their training.”

It wasn’t anything huge, just a small circle in between your shoulder blades with two slopes within that met at a peak. After so many years of not being able to see it, you had almost forgotten about it.

Gabriel snorted. “That’s barbaric. I would’ve thought giving your life to the crown would be enough.” 

You sighed. Something told you that when you arrived home, neither Gabriel nor Jack were going to take a liking to each other.

For the next few hours you travelled in silence, and you began to realize that the sun was starting to set and the temperature had dropped considerably. Shivering, you tried not to lean back into Gabriel’s warm body so pathetically, but he ended up noticing with a small chuckle.

“Let’s find somewhere to camp for the night,” he suggested. With chattering teeth, you agreed.

It only took you two a few minutes to find a clearing right off the path sheltered by a thicket of trees, and you set yourself to the task of building a fire while Gabriel figured out how to pitch the tent.

Catching a spark was difficult with your freezing fingers and the damp wood, but before long you had a large and roaring fire to keep you warm. You looked at the flames proudly, before turning your head to see how Gabriel was faring with the tent.

“This stupid...fucking...how the  _ fuck _ ….”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at him flailing with the thick canvas material. Walking over, you grabbed the corner from him and rolled your eyes with a sigh. “Useless,” you mumbled, kneeling down and picking up the mallet on the ground.

Within minutes, you and Gabriel had gotten the tent up with minimal arguing and were now huddled in front of the fire, sitting on a log that was frozen stiff and slowly thawing underneath you. 

“I hate winter,” you mumbled, blowing on your hands. 

“It’s not so bad. What’s so nice about summer?” Gabriel hummed. It seemed like he only existed to contradict you. “So fucking hot all the time.” 

“It’s nice and cool in the castle, especially in the healer’s quarters in the basement. The days are long so you have more time to get things done, too.” You rebuked, rubbing your hands together.

“First they brand you with their stupid symbol and now they’re telling me they keep you in a basement?” He snorted, ignoring your second point. You were about to scowl when you felt something heavy drape over your shoulders—Gabriel’s cloak.

It was embarrassing how much you revelled in the added warmth, due to both the thick material and the lingering heat of his body. You opened your mouth to protest but he waved you off. 

“I don’t feel cold easily after the whole curse thing,” he explained, prodding the fire with a stick to turn over the logs. You vividly remembered him complaining about being freezing in Rialbury, but you chose not to say anything. “Plus, your chattering teeth are driving me insane.” 

Glaring at him, you made a show of wrapping his cloak tighter around your body and inched closer to the fire. 

“So,” Gabriel said casually, sipping on some of the mint tea you had just brewed. “What’s your plan for me when we get to Overshire?” 

You halted in bringing your own cup to your lips, lowering it back down to set on the snow while you contemplated your answer. If you were being honest, you had no miracle potion or herb to reverse the curse, and with the scarcity of witches, you had no one to ask for help.

“You have no plan,” he surmised.

“It’s not that I don’t have a plan,” you said defensively. “But it’s not everyday I come across someone who's just been cursed by a vengeful witch.”

To your surprise, Gabriel only shrugged. “Don’t work yourself up over it, I know how much I’m asking of you.”

Eyes softening, you turned your gaze to focus on the fire, the flickering flames dancing in front of your eyes. “I’ll try my best, Gabriel,” you promised. 

He placed a hand on top of your head, ruffling your hair slightly. “I don’t doubt that you will, just don’t kill yourself over it.”

Heat bloomed over your cheeks at his affectionate pat, and your lips turned up into a small smile. Once more, a comfortable silence draped over you as you were thoughtlessly mesmerized by the flames.

The crackling of the fire was more soothing than anything you had heard in awhile, and coupled with the weight and warmth of Gabriel’s cloak, you were starting to doze off. The days worth of travel was finally catching up to you, and, as much as you hated to admit it, the smoky scent of pine that lingered on the clothing only lulled you further into sleep.

Your head started to droop, and you heard a faint laugh before feeling yourself being lifted up into the air. The smell of a warm forest intensified, and you could only think of how much you liked it before you fell asleep completely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter for u I am on a roll! As always I appreciate every read, kudos, bookmark and comment <3


	7. chapter seven

Burrowing your face deeper into your bedroll, you let out a sigh of content as you began to slowly wake up from your slumber.

It had been so long since you had felt so warm; save for the frosty nip on your nose, your whole body was encased in a comforting heat.

Stifling a yawn, you stretched out your legs and squirmed to turn around, encumbered by a heavy weight that was draped over your torso. You frowned, opening your eyes blearily against the sunlight that filtered through the thin canvas of the tent. 

For the first few seconds, you were confused as to what exactly you were looking at, but as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes, you realized.

In front of you, a collarbone peeked out of the neckline of a black tunic. As you looked down, you saw a heavy arm with tanned skin and tortuous veins, draped over your body and pulling you close. 

You hardly had the time to let out a surprised squeak when Gabriel’s chest moved against you, his low, sleepy voice in your ear making your breath hitch.

“Fuck… what time is it?” 

Your instincts told you to run out of the tent in horror as fast as possible, but the thought of being out in the cold morning made you stay put. You wouldn’t consider any other alternative reason. 

“Just past mid-morning, I think,” you forced out, wondering if Gabriel knew exactly what position the two of you were in. “We should head out soon.” 

He shifted slightly, burying his face into the top of your head. “I’m surprised you haven’t made a run for it,” he mused in his gravelly tone. “Considering how stiff you are right now.” 

You blushed furiously, suddenly aware of how tense your body was, and the uncomfortableness of the sweat gathering underneath your collar. 

“Do you want me to move?” Gabriel offered, letting out a small yawn.

You could smell the evergreen that had engulfed you last night, and coupled with the glorious warmth of your shared body heat, you couldn’t find yourself to say yes.

“No,” you admitted, your voice hardly more than a whisper. 

He smiled against you and readjusted again, this time wrapping his arm tightly around your ribs and pulling you closer towards him. “Stay like this for a little longer,” Gabriel murmured, “I’m fucking exhausted and you feel nice.” 

Gulping, you nodded, not trusting yourself to say anything. For another hour the two of you laid there with nothing but Gabriel’s even breathing filling the silent tent.

-x-x-x-

When you finally couldn’t delay setting out any further, you nudged Gabriel back awake and watched as he flopped around and groaned on his bedroll.

“Gabriel, let’s go,” you chided, pulling his blanket off him in hopes that the chill would shock him awake. 

He shook his head vehemently and curled up into a tight ball, a humorous sight for someone who was six feet tall. Your patience was wearing thin, but you couldn’t help but laugh at how childish he was. 

“If you’re not awake in two minutes I’m leaving you here!” You threatened, pointing a finger at him.

Gabriel finally peeked up at you with one eye open, a tired grin on his face. “Don’t forget the last time you tried to leave me somewhere, I’ll fly onto your horse and push you off.” 

You scowled at the reminder of when you left the inn. Deciding to leave him to his own devices, you grabbed your neatly packed bedroll and ducked out of the tent to fasten it to the packs already fitted to your horse.

A sigh left you as you tried your best to make sense of what happened between you and Gabriel. It seemed that every interaction you had left you scrambling for answers, whether it be from yourself or from him. It was obvious that there was something perhaps blooming between the two of you, but after experiencing how uncertain and volatile Gabriel’s emotions were, you weren’t entirely sure if you wanted to broach the subject with him. 

All you knew was that, despite the bickering and arguing, you genuinely enjoyed his company and would have been miserable being stuck in that inn and making your way back home on your own. To make matters worse, you didn’t know what you’d do when the two of you got home.

Gabriel was now wanted across the kingdom, and you didn’t think that you had that much of an influence to get him a royal pardon from Jack, assuming that the king even wanted to. And there was the problem of what exactly your life would be after you lifted the curse, if you could.

Would he stay with you in Overshire? Be by your side while you spent all your time in your study? Dedicate his life to the crown? 

All of it brought nothing but a damn headache.

You didn’t realize that you had been unmoving until you felt a thwack on the back of your head, tipping you slightly forward into the rough leather of the saddle.

“Ow!” You winced.

“A bear could have come and ripped the lower half of your body off and you’d be none the wiser with how distracted you were,” Gabriel tutted, securing the packed up tent with the rest of the cargo. “You left me to disassemble this stupid tent all by myself, I’m pretty sure I just lost braincells trying to figure it out.”

“As if you had many left to spare,” you huffed, shooting daggers at him while you rubbed the sore spot on the back of your head. 

Gabriel didn’t reply, instead choosing to give you another tap, albeit a softer one, on your forehead. Before you could protest, he closed his hands around your waist and lifted you effortlessly onto the saddle. Without acknowledging the beet red colour your complexion had taken, he simply slid behind you and reached around you to grab the reins.

“So,” he said conversationally, bringing your horse to a canter. “Are you going to tell me why you’re not avoiding me as if I’m a repulsive cockroach?” 

“What are you even talking about?” You asked defensively. “I don’t do anything of the sort, if anything you’re the one that can’t be bothered.”

“Mm,” Gabriel hummed. “You didn’t mind me bringing you to bed last night, nor did you mind cuddling with me this morning.” 

Your ears burned; everything you had assumed about Gabriel not wanting to confront the recent events were proved to be wrong, but it didn’t mean that you were any more ready to face them yourself. 

“Don’t let it get to your head,” you snorted, trying to play it off as being indifferent. “You served as nothing more but a heater.” 

“Mm that’s not what it seemed like earlier,” he said haughtily, “don’t worry, I know you find me irresistible.”

“That’s the last thing anyone would ever find you!” You shot back indignantly. “I was being polite, which is something you wouldn’t know a damn thing about.”

Gabriel guffawed, the laugh sounding half of amusement and half of disbelief. 

Before he could give one of his snappy retorts, you looked over your shoulder and stuck your chin up in the air.

“Besides, you snore, and your breath smells in the morning, too!” 

They were both lies, but nothing in the world could compare to seeing Gabriel’s shocked expression after you, for once, shut him up. 

-x-x-x-

“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Gabriel muttered, raising his arms above him in a stretch. 

“It’s not like I’ve lived here for all my life and have been wandering these woods since I was a kid,” you snorted sarcastically. “Yes, I know where we’re going, we should be at the perimeter soon.”

He let out an unconvinced sigh, but remained silent as the two of you travelled through the forest that was situated at the back of the castle. Even if it was nighttime, you still took this route in hopes of getting straight to Jack without any interruptions. 

You looked up and saw that the moon was bright in the sky tonight, still mostly covered by clouds but showing every sign of it being full.

It startled you just how much time had passed since you left Overshire. You had travelled to Eichenfort on the day after the full moon, and one must have passed through the snowstorm during your travels to the inn. 

Before you could point it out to Gabriel, your horse was immediately brought to a sudden stop with the reins in his control.

“There’s someone coming.” He whispered, his eyes attentive and scanning the forest. You weren’t too worried--patrols were a normalcy around the castle, but you thought it better to be safe rather than sorry.

Gabriel steered your steed into a thicket of trees and slid down from the saddle, offering his arm to you as you followed. “Stay behind me just in case,” he said sternly, setting his large frame in front of you. 

You were about to tell him off for being so paranoid when you heard the sounds of hooves rapidly thudding against the snowy dirt coming towards you. 

A flame came into view as the gallops intensified, and you shrunk into the back of Gabriel’s cloak as you began to think of every scenario, no matter how ludicrous. 

Thieves? Witches? Townspeople looking for a fight? 

“Halt!” You heard a voice that sounded similar to a clap of thunder. “What are you doing in these woods? State your name and your purpose.”

“That seems like it’s none of your fucking business, does it?” Gabriel immediately shot back. The muscles in his back were tense, and you had to admit that, with his response, you were too terrified to even look at who had cornered the two of you.

“A smart mouth, huh?” The deep voice remarked with a hint of humour. “Let’s see how fast I can get you talking before the king’s court sees you.”

Your eyes widened at the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn from a scabbard, and, even in your panicked state, you heard the mention of the king’s court. 

Sensing Gabriel’s body shift into attack mode, you leapt out from behind him with your hand in the air.

“Stop!” You cried out. You could see the royal colours and the gleaming shine of silver, but your anxiety grew when you realized that you didn’t recognize the man who was now wielding a broadsword. It would make it ten times more complicated to explain who you were, and even if you had your identification in your pack, the guard was more likely to not listen to you after Gabriel had gone and pissed him off.

Your head snapped up when you heard your name being called, and your attention darted to the second guard who you failed to have paid attention to.

“Brigitte?” The relief in your voice was palpable, and you hadn’t realized how tightly Gabriel was holding onto you until he relaxed his grip for a second.

Your friend and guard-in-training leapt down from her horse and, ignoring her superior, surged forward to hug you. You sagged against her in visible solace, revelling in the fact that you had just dodged a situation that could have turned for the worse.

“Don’t worry, Akande,” Brigitte turned to the male guard, who was looking at his subordinate in distaste. “This is our healer, she works closely with Your Highness.”

Although she had cleared your name, it didn’t stop the hostility that flickered between him and Gabriel, who’s demeanor had not let up in the slightest.

“Who is this?” Brigitte interrupted, gesturing to Gabriel with a nod. 

“My travelling companion,” you answered, keeping the details vague. “I’m sorry, Brigitte, I’ll tell you more later but it’s important that I see Jack.”

She nodded firmly and looked up at Akande, who, after eyeing you and Gabriel, relented with an unsatisfied grunt. The two guards wordlessly mounted their steeds and turned towards the castle, waiting patiently for you to follow.

“Calm down, Gabriel,” you murmured, pulling him by the cloak towards your horse. 

“Tsk,” he tutted, “you might want to ask your king friend to put that asshole in review.” 

With a sigh, you clambered onto your horse and waited for Gabriel to swing up behind you. Trust him to shake off an intense situation so easily. Two minutes ago he was as fierce as a rabid dog with his hackles up and now he was taking everything in stride with his usual snarky humour. 

The ride to the castle was brief, the only sounds filling the quiet forest being the hooves thumping against the frozen earth. Before long, you emerged out of the woods and found yourself at the stables, where a young servant was giving the horses the last feed of the night.

Brigitte was the first to ride up to him, the faint sounds of her rapid instructions reaching the servant, who immediately nodded and made a dash towards the castle. 

You brought your horse to a stop and clambered off, avoiding the piercing gaze of Akande and instead turning your attention to Gabriel.

“Promise me something,” you pleaded. He raised an eyebrow at you, curious to your sudden severity. “Let me do the talking, don’t say anything rude and for the love of God stop glaring at that guard.”

“He wanted the trouble to begin with, but fine, I won’t say anything,” Gabriel huffed, tearing his eyes away from Akande. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not always an ass--”

His words were cut off by another shout of your name, this time coming from a voice you could recognize almost anywhere.

“Jack!” You spun around and saw him running at full tilt with Ana keeping up next to him. 

You staggered when he collided into you, his hands easily encompassing your shoulders to steady with your body.

“Where the hell have you been, why didn’t you send a damn crow or get a message back to us?” He yelled, more out of worry than anger. “Are you stupid?”

“We’ve been worried sick,” Ana added, reaching out to make sure that you weren’t hurt.

You opened your mouth to reply but felt yourself being tugged out of Jack’s iron grip. Gabriel’s hand splayed on your back to prevent you from stumbling, but the act drew the king’s attention away from you and to your travel companion.

“Who the hell are you?” Jack set his jaw, rising to his full height. Ana stayed silent but kept her watchful gaze on the two men.

“Gabriel Reyes,” Gabriel answered, dipping his head slightly. And because it was Gabriel, he added, “at your service.”

Before Jack could react to Gabriel’s snarky answer poorly, you slotted yourself between the two men and raised your hands up. “I can tell you everything, Jack, let’s just go inside; it’s freezing out here.”

You saw his blue eyes flicker to you before they were drawn back to Gabriel’s, who looked back at him impassively.

“Akande,” Jack announced assertively. “Arrest him immediately.” 

The guard moved faster than you would have thought, and Gabriel, who was caught in surprise, had little time to defend himself before his arms were wrenched behind his back.

“Jack, what the hell--” you started, rounding on him. 

“This man’s wanted,” Jack seethed. “His posters are all over the kingdom, what the hell were you thinking, bringing him here?”

You rushed over to help Gabriel, who now was wearing the deadliest snarl you had ever seen, but was intercepted by Brigitte.

“I’m sorry,” she said apologetically, “it’s easier to get everything straightened out this way.” 

Logistically, you knew that was the case, but it didn’t help knowing that you had gotten Gabriel into this current mess. Your nerves were frazzled and you didn’t know what to do, but you could only promise yourself that you would get this worked out.

The moonlight above you intensified as the last of the clouds wisped away, bathing the clearing next to the stables in a bright milky light. You were focused on the outline of Jack and Ana’s frames as they stalked back towards the castle, too distracted to notice the low growl that was slowly starting to creep louder.

It wasn’t until Brigitte grabbed your arm that you whipped your head around to see what the hell was going on.

In the clearing, Akande was on the ground, wincing with his hand reaching for his broadsword, and Gabriel…

Gabriel was a tornado of darkness, his once-compliant figure now hunched in a fighting stance and his eyes glowing a menacing scarlet. Black mist swirled all around him, forming whirlpools at his feet and reaching out with smokey tendrils.

When his gaze connected with yours, he lunged. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabe’s not a vampire, I swear


	8. chapter eight

You didn’t have the time nor the reflexes to get yourself out of harm’s way, but Brigitte did.

Before you could even comprehend what was going on, the guard had launched herself in front of you with her sword drawn and her shield up.

A scream wrenched its way out of your throat when the dark force that had once been Gabriel was knocked aside with the heavy shield. It seemed like he barely hit the ground before he was upright again, his eyes a fearsome red and black smog radiating off his body.

“Your Majesty!” Akande was back onto his feet, seemingly unharmed. He rushed to the side of Jack and Ana, who were now sprinting back from where they had reached the edge of the clearing.

You heard your name being shouted from their vicinity, but you wouldn’t leave Brigitte and you  _ couldn’t  _ leave Gabriel.

Ignoring Brigitte’s yell of protest, you wrenched your way out of her grasp and sprinted towards him, all forethought of your safety out of your mind. There had to be a way to get him to calm down, you thought. You had seen him this way once, and it was to protect you. Killing those men was all just to protect you.

Sounds of Jack calling for reinforcements barely penetrated your brain—all you were set on was to get to Gabriel before anyone else did.

The moment you were a foot away from him, a tendril of smoke exploded from him and worked its way around your throat, constricting your airway. Your hands immediately went to pull it off to no avail; your hands simply passed through the substance like it was nothing.

All you could focus on in the midst of the commotion was Gabriel’s devastating glare, scarlet and unrecognizable. 

Tears were streaming down your face with the lack of oxygen and you were starting to hyperventilate in hopes of getting air. You were no stranger to his ruthlessness in this state—you knew that if he wanted to, he could snap your neck in two in the blink of an eye.

So why wasn’t he?

“Gabriel,” you choked, your voice coming out hoarsely, “Gabriel, please, it’s  _ me _ .”

There was a shift in his look, something that softened that murderous look on his face, and you felt the pressure around your throat lessen a fraction.

Before you could reach out to him and calm him down further, you heard the distinct whistle of an arrow cutting through the air.

Without needing to look, you knew that it had to be Ana, who never missed.

You couldn’t say what compelled you to do so, but every instinct in your body drove you to jump up and hope that you timed it correctly enough to block Gabriel’s head with your body.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you expected to feel the sharp pain of the arrow entering your body, but it never came. 

Instead, you could feel Gabriel’s arms find themselves around your waist and a rush of air, the same rush of air you felt when he had caught you mid-fall off that cliff near Rialbury. 

You weren’t in the air for long, and you let out a grunt when your body hit the frozen earth with a thud. Looking around, you saw sparse trees and the moonlight filtering through the branches, so bright that it stung your eyes.

You could still hear the sound of outrage in the clearing, meaning that you must still be close to the castle, and under it all you could hear the pained mutter of your name.

“Gabriel!” You shouted, getting onto your knees to turn to the dark mound that laid next to you. The smoke morphed into something that looked like steam, wisping away into the frigid air before it evaporated entirely. 

His eyes were open and still the colour of blood, but he was alive, he was conscious, and he knew your name.

“I’m here,” you breathed out, holding both of his cheeks in your palm as you tried to assess any damage as best you could. Gabriel’s hands went to cover yours, a tender gesture that you would have been blushing over for weeks if it wasn’t for the situation.

“Are you...are you hurt?” He rasped, teeth grit as if he was fighting something within himself that you couldn’t see. You remembered what he said about being pulled apart and stitched back together, and your heart broke at the agony he must have felt just trying to talk to you.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” you assured him. “Don’t talk, okay? I need you to be quiet and save your energy.”

For once in the entirety that you knew him, Gabriel nodded without argument, his gaze shifting to the sky while he laid on his side, skin shiny with sweat and the veins in his neck prominent. His body twitched uncontrollably, and his hands were balled into fists as he fought to contain himself against the curse. 

Your hands travelled from his face to the rest of his body, and your blood turned cold when the tips of your fingers brushed something wet and came back scarlet. Immediately, you looked behind him and saw the feathers of Ana’s arrow sticking out from his back, the shaft slightly bent and splintering. 

“You...the arrow,” you spluttered, unable to comprehend full sentences while your brain forced itself to kick into healing mode. Without anything else to staunch the bleeding, you wrenched off your cloak, your teeth immediately chattering against the cold that hit your bare skin. 

Gabriel gave a noise of protest but you ignored him, bracing yourself against the chill before you took off your tunic, balling the fabric up and pressing it against the wound on his belly. With one hand always applying pressure, you got yourself back into your cloak and hoped that you’d be able to figure things out to get him into the castle before you froze to death and he bled out.

You could hear the thundering footsteps of what must have been the entire King’s court summoned by Jack, but you were still laser focused on who needed you the most.

“Just leave!” Gabriel hissed, his abdomen contracting underneath you as he coughed.

“I’m not leaving you here,” you choked out. You didn’t realize that tears were streaming down your face, running in rivers down your cheeks and dripping onto Gabriel’s body below. “I’m not leaving you here and I told you to be quiet!” 

The commotion of the guards came far too quickly, and your head whipped towards them as they advanced towards you, swords drawn.

“Get back from there!” Brigitte cried, standing next to Akande with her hand thrust out for you.

“I need to speak with Jack,” you shouted, the tone of your voice surprising you. You could see the hard glint in the eyes of the other guards surrounding you as you yelled.

“Your Highness will speak to you after we arrest that demon you brought back,” Akande spit out, the snow crunching underneath his boot as he took a step towards you.

“You will call Jack here  _ right fucking now, or I will kill you! _ ” You screamed, tears flying off your face.

Akande gave a growl and raised his sword, but another figure brushed by him with a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m here,” Jack said, his jaw set. “I can take care of this, Akande.”

“But, Your Highness--”

“I said stand down, Akande. Please remember who you are speaking with.”

You could only stare as Jack kneeled next to you, his blue eyes piercing as they met with yours.

“I need...I need to take him back,” you hiccupped, pleading with your old friend as tears succumbed you once again. “I need to take him back and I need to  _ help  _ him.”

You looked back down and saw that the blood flowing onto your tunic had slowed; more so an effect of the curse that sped up Gabriel’s healing capabilities. He was still laying, unmoving, with his eyes closed, but his shoulders were rising and lowering at an even pace. He would live now that the bleeding slowed, but you couldn’t take the risk. Not when you… not when you loved him.

“I love him, Jack,” you whispered, the words coming out in disbelief. “I love him, and if you love me you’ll let me bring him back in. I’ll pay the punishment, you can strip me of my title, I don’t care. Just let me bring him back.” 

You could see the inner turmoil that Jack was facing, torn between the fact that Gabriel had attacked his guards and the fact that not once in your life had you ever pleaded with him so desperately. 

“Healer Aspen, did you bring your stretcher?” Jack finally said, his commanding voice cutting through the silence.

“Y-yes, Your Highness,” your fellow healer wrestled his way past the guards with the device and setting it down beside Gabriel’s form. You realized that he most likely brought it for you in the case that you were the one to be fatally injured. 

More tears forced their way out of you, and you could feel yourself being swept up in the anxiety that had consumed you back at the cliff. Jack pulled you up by your shoulders, but you resisted, your hands still firmly planted on Gabriel’s stomach.

“Aspen will take care of him,” Jack said in your ear, his grip on you more forceful as he helped you up. “You need to step back and let him do his job.”

Nodding, you tried to wipe away the tears with the sleeve of your cloak while you watched Aspen and another guard hoist Gabriel onto the stretcher. Jack steered you with a gentle hand on your lower back to follow them towards the castle, and you could only numbly follow and think if Gabriel had heard your confession. 

-x-x-x-

“The King has requested to see you.”

You looked up from your fixed gaze on your fraying blankets to see Brigitte standing in the doorway. She had her heavy armour off and her left arm in a sling; the product of her forearm shattering when she batted Gabriel away with her shield.

Nodding, you climbed onto your feet and followed her, your spirits still low. It was in the middle of the night, a few hours after Aspen had gotten Gabriel into the infirmary, but you had done nothing but pace in your room and stare at your sheets. The travel cloak you wore still hung off your shoulders, and you were sure that you probably smelled and looked like garbage.

“Brigitte…” you started to say, nervous for her response. In the end, it was Gabriel who broke her arm and dislocated Akande’s shoulder, and you felt wholly responsible for it.

“Do you think I went through training without a scratch?” Brigitte said, her steps equal to yours as she looked over at you. “Don’t apologize for anything. I did my job to protect the crown, and it’s my job to deal with the injuries that come with it.” 

You nodded, too sullen to argue back with her. The rest of the way to Jack’s quarters were filled with silence, and when you finally reached the door to his room you stopped and gave Brigitte a hug. You weren’t sure if she fully appreciated it, considering your hair was still damp and your clothes were dirty, but she returned the embrace nonetheless before knocking on the door for you.

“Come in.”

You ducked your head when you slipped into Jack’s room, surprised to see him without Ana or his personal guard. He looked just as tired as you felt, and was sitting on his chaise in front of the fireplace. 

Taking the seat next to him, you watched as he eyed the flickering flames thoughtfully before turning towards you.

“Are you alright?”

His voice was still the same as always, but you could notice that it was softer than usual as he took in your dishevelled state. 

“Yes, I’m fine,” you sighed. “How’s Gabriel?” 

Jack’s gaze visibly hardened at the mention of him, and he looked back towards the fire. “Healer Aspen said he’s healing fine,” he surmised, expression unchanged when he swivelled his head back to face you. “I need to know everything. Why he’s here, why he was with you, what power he possesses and why he unleashed it right when arriving here.” 

You looked back at him in disbelief. “That’s not important right now, I need to go see him, I need to--”

“I  _ cannot  _ have a...monster criminal walking free around here, you know that. I have a responsibility for my people and I need to know everything about him,” Jack interrupted, raising his voice. “I’ve let you do whatever you want since the beginning of my reign and I need you to do this for me. As your King, I demand that you tell me everything I need to know about this man.” 

Never in your life had Jack held his title over you, and you were surprised to realize how much you detested it. Your hands trembled in your lap as you stared back at the man you had confided in since you were old enough to have your first crush on the butcher’s son. The man that tried, and failed, to teach you how to wield a sword; the man that encouraged you to pursue healing even after your parents said not to.

With a strangled sigh and shaking shoulders, you told Jack everything. From when you had found Gabriel in the woods to healing him in the first few stages of his curse. You told him about how you were trapped in that inn during the snowstorm and how he rescued you from those thieves that had nearly raped and killed you. 

You told him of your travels, how you nearly fell to your death but he was able to save you because of his curse, how you never knew something like that was going to happen until it was coincidentally the full moon the very night you brought him here. 

Jack was quiet throughout your whole story, his expression thoughtful and occupied while you tried your best to summarize the last month in a condensed story. You finished off by telling him that the witch that had cursed him was in Eichenfort, and that you had promised Gabriel that you would find the cure. 

“You said you loved him,” he finally said, looking at you once more. “Was that true?” 

Puzzled, you could hardly see how it was relevant to the situation at hand, and then you remembered years ago, when Jack had broached the subject of marriage and you had waved him off so humorously…

“I...I don’t know,” you said honestly. “I don’t know if it was in the heat of the moment or if something did develop, I don’t know.”

A moment of silence blanketed over you, the only sounds in his giant room being that of the fireplace crackling and spitting. 

“Gabriel will be sentenced for his crimes after he’s fit to stand trial,” Jack finally said, crossing his ankle over his knee. He saw your expression and scoffed dryly. “Don’t look at me like that. It’ll be a fine or two, I’m not going to behead someone for stealing.”

It was hard to contain the sigh of relief that left you, but you tried your best not to look too pathetic about it for Jack’s sake. He already seemed to dislike Gabriel, the last thing you wanted to do was fuel it. 

“Where is he?” You asked. “Can I see him?” 

He paused for a second before nodding. “Ask Brigitte to escort you to his cell. She’ll let the guards know that I authorized it.”

You dipped your head in acknowledgement, but as you made your way to the door, you heard him add something else that sent shivers down your spine.

“If I hear or see you trying to get him out, our friendship be damned, you’ll be tried along with him.” 

-x-x-x-

Brigitte was quiet the whole time she escorted you to the dungeons, and you were too shaken up by your conversation with Jack to try to make conversation. 

Never in your entire life had he ever threatened you like that, but you surmised that you had never done anything that broke the law before. Sure, Jack was often stone-faced and strong willed, but you were usually the one who could draw out his empathy and his sense of humour. 

You’d be lying if you said that it didn’t hurt, to feel the weight of a threat that you never expected to hear from him. It was hard to say exactly what triggered him; if it was the fact that Gabriel had bad manners from the start, or if it was because he had been the one to hear your declaration of love for a man that wasn’t him. 

Before you could dwell on it any further, Brigitte announced that you had arrived at his cell, where two other guards were standing post. 

“She’s here to see him,” your friend stated. “Your Highness approved it.”

Without a word, the guard on the left turned and deftly unlocked the metal door, solid save for a small barred rectangle at the top. You shivered at the loud creak of the hinges, and in the glow of the torchlight that filtered into the pitch-black room, you saw Gabriel sitting with his back against the wall with his eyes closed.

“Let them know if you need anything,” Brigitte said, handing you a torch and gesturing to the guards with a head nod. 

“I will,” you said gratefully, taking it from her. “Thank you again.”

Stepping into the dark room, your eyes adjusted to the light of the flame as the door shut behind you. The cell was no bigger than twelve feet by twelve feet, and only had a cot with a thin blanket sitting atop it. 

You nearly jumped when you heard your name in a hoarse whisper, and you immediately crouched to where Gabriel was sitting. 

“Are you okay?” You started frantically, holding the torch close to him to inspect him of any damage that Aspen might have missed. 

“I’m fine,” Gabriel promised, seemingly livelier now that you were here. “What about you, are you hurt?”

You shook your head and almost recoiled when he reached up to cup your cheek in the palm of his hand, his thumb brushing the corner of your mouth gently.

“You’re an idiot, you know that,” he scowled, although it was void of any malice. “Jumping up like some...frog thing to block that arrow.” 

Embarrassingly, you could feel the threat of tears approach but you staved them off, not wanting Gabriel to have another reason to make fun of you for. You shook your head and prodded him in the forehead in retaliation. “You’re the idiot, taking that shot instead of me. You were lucky you were only hit in the back.” 

“Lucky my ass,” he snorted, some of his personality coming through clearly. “Are you sure that Asthma guy is qualified? He might as well have carrots for fingers, given how very not gentle he was being.”

“Don’t say that,” you scolded, whacking him gently on the side of his head. “I helped him get through his qualifications, he’s a good healer. You’re just a baby.” 

He laughed at that, his pearly teeth showing in the orange light of the torch. It was in these moments that you could appreciate how devastatingly handsome he was, from his defined features to the facial hair that you, embarrassingly, liked more than you wanted to admit. 

“Has your Royal Asshole talked to you yet?” Gabriel asked, drawing your attention away from his jaw. 

“Don’t call him that,” you sighed. “He said you’d have to stand trial but you’ll most likely have to pay a fine. And don’t be too hard on him, he has the whole kingdom to look after and you kind of assaulted two of his guards.” 

Gabriel scoffed. “I won’t lie, I feel awful for hurting your friend but that other guard was asking for it. And a sidenote, please remind me to ask that bitch Mercy why the fuck I turn into a were-wraith when the stupid full moon comes out. I could have killed you.”

His voice dropped at the last sentence, and suddenly his expression turned forlorn as fast as it had brightened up when you arrived. 

“But you didn’t,” you said, trying to soothe the guilt that you knew was probably eating away at him. “You didn’t kill me, I’m fine.” 

“You could have died, you didn’t know that,” he argued, his tone rising in anger. “How do you think I could live with myself if something happened to you?”

“It’s...Gabriel,” you started, unsure of how to phrase your next few words correctly. “I was the one who promised to help you, and if something happens during that process…”

A surprised gasp left you when he suddenly gripped onto your shoulders, almost prompting you to let go of the torch. “Don’t say that,” Gabriel said fiercely. “Don’t say that because if something happens to you that shit is on me. I… fuck I’m not good with my words but before this whole curse thing I had nobody, and I guess I can thank Mercy for her stupid magic because now I have you.”

You could only stare at him as he avoided your eyes, vulnerability clear in his expression. “Gabriel, I…”

He sighed impatiently, as if he was purging his body of all the emotions that drove his frustration. 

“I promise everything will work out,” Gabriel said firmly, using his fingers to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear. “I’ll see you whenever the trial is set, and then you can show me your dingy study where the Royal Asshole forces you to work.”

And before you could say anything else, his large hand encompassed the back of your head and pulled you forward, colliding your lips against his in a kiss you would be feeling for weeks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just gonna leave this here :-)


	9. chapter nine

Even though the trial was to be held at ten o’clock, you found yourself awake at dawn and staring at the cracks in your stone ceiling.

Never in your life had you felt so nervous to attend a hearing, or frankly, to see another human being. 

The feeling of Gabriel’s lips against yours in the chilly cell replayed in your mind as you tried to fall asleep, and, ashamedly, had made itself present in your dreams along with...other things. You had woken up red and blushing with a noticeable dampness between your thighs, images of glistening skin and defined muscle flashing before you when you closed your eyes.

Laying back into your pillow, you brought your blanket higher up to your chin and sighed. The kiss between you and Gabriel should be the least of your worries, considering that he was still stuck somewhere in the castle dungeons, wearing the same clothes he had arrived in. 

You realized that Jack hadn’t said anything about you testifying, but what would you say if he asked you to be a character witness? 

That Gabriel was, admittedly, one of the most annoying people you had ever met in your entire life?

That, even though you knew full well of his criminal activity, you were sure that he was a good man underneath it all?

The last time you had stood on trial was when there had been a murder of a maid in the castle walls, commited by a member of the guard who went on a rampage after he had gotten her pregnant out of wedlock. It was the most intense two weeks of your life, and although you had to describe in detail of all the horrific things he had done to her, you hadn’t stuttered through a single sentence of your testimony.

So why were you so damn nervous to attend a trial that you weren’t even sure you were going to be speaking at?

Sighing, you threw your blanket off and decided to get dressed. Despite the hour, you were sure that Jack was probably already awake, and you figured it was time to talk to him. You had tried to get a word with him last night after your visit to the dungeons, but to no avail. The guards told you that he had retired to his study, but you strongly suspected that he was holed up in his room and simply decided to ignore you.

After cleaning your teeth and splashing your face with warm water, you donned your housecoat over your nightgown and tied your boots on with deft fingers. 

The healer’s wing of the castle was quiet as you slipped out of your bedroom, shutting your door behind you quietly. As you made your way up the staircase to the main floor, you began to see the light of dawn filter in through the windows. Although the cold covered you in gooseflesh, you felt relaxed breathing in the slightly damp morning air. 

You walked down the corridors with your fingers trailing along the frigid stone, and you couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of giddiness. After two months away with the second being the wildest of your life, it was nice to be back home and resume the normalcy that you were looking forward to.

It was then that you thought about what Gabriel was going to do after his trial. He’d be a complete idiot to go back to his ‘profession’ (not that you’d allow it), and he seemed to strongly dislike the idea of working for the crown. You pondered if you’d be able to teach him a thing or two about healing, but you figured that he’d probably be bored to tears or at the very least, unable to sit throughout the lesson. 

You came to the conclusion after brainstorming some more that you didn’t really know much about him. You hadn’t a clue what his likes and dislikes were, if he had any hobbies, and, to your horror, how old he was. Thanks to Jack asking him to introduce himself, you could at least say that you knew Gabriel’s last name, but it still wasn’t the information that you would have of someone that you claimed to love.

You didn’t notice that you had reached the section of the castle where Jack’s room was, and although they wore their usual stony expressions, you could tell the guards were eyeing you oddly at how you wandered in your sleepwear, mumbling under your breath. 

“I’m sorry,” one of them said, standing straighter now that you had made your way towards the door. “Your Majesty is not accepting any visitors at the moment.”

“I’m not a visitor,” you retorted. It was far too early and cold for you to be arguing with his sentries again. “I’m a healer in this castle and I would like a moment to speak with him.” You weren’t sure if Jack himself had put his guards up to this, but it was thoroughly vexing you to be ignored.

The guards looked at one another before the first one spoke again, clearing his throat as if you were an imbecile. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Your Majesty instructed us not to let anyone in. You can come back--”

Before he could finish his sentence, you strode forward and wrenched open the door with a bit more force than you were intending to, stunning them speechless. 

Storming into his room, you saw Jack look up from where he was sitting on the edge of his bed, a bewildered look on his face as his gaze flickered from you to his guards who followed you in.

“What, are you ignoring me now?” You exclaimed, putting your hands on your hips. It didn’t phase you that you were looking at your King half naked and in the process of dressing, but Jack stared back at you with a scowl on his face, standing up from his seat. 

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty,” the other guard spluttered, his hand already on your arm. “She just barged in, we’ll remove her right away.”

You were about to yank your arm away from his grasp when Jack held his hand up with an irritated sigh. “It’s okay, let her stay.” He commanded, the authoritative cadences of his voice affecting the guards immediately.

They seemed hesitant, but his minion finally released his hold on you and they filed obediently out of his study, shutting the door with a click behind them.

There was a moment of silence before Jack turned his attention to you, crossing his arms over his bare chest. He had only put on his crisp trousers that still had yet to be fastened. “What do you want?”

You wanted to argue with him, but you could see the tiredness in his face and how he couldn’t quite look at you in the eyes. There had been countless fights between the two of you over the years but you had hardly ever felt so alienated by him, especially with the fact that you hadn’t seen him for two months.

Without saying anything, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him, sighing as you felt the familiarity of your cheek against his chest. Jack hesitated for a moment but returned your embrace, hunching over until he rested his head atop yours.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” you mumbled against him, peeling yourself away. 

“I’m sorry for threatening you last night,” Jack blew out a frustrated exhale, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was pissed off, but I shouldn’t have said that to you. I know first hand where your loyalties lie.” 

His comment shouldn’t have gotten to you, but you felt a pinch in your spine when you heard his words.

Before you met Gabriel, you knew for a fact that everything you did and everything you had was for the crown. But now, you had a new objective in life; to get Gabriel’s curse lifted, no matter what. You knew your loyalty to Jack was unwavering, but would he be your priority? Would he be your forethought with every move and decision you ever made? The fact that you had to think about it should have been enough of an answer, but you were terrified to accept it as your new reality. 

Jack gave you a curious look at your silence, but you waved it off nonchalantly, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. You watched as he shrugged on a white linen shirt that fit snugly over his broad shoulders and tapered waist, his fingers neatly buttoning it up to his neck with precision. 

“You really worried me, you know,” he said again, this time with a tone that reminded you of how often he scolded you throughout your friendship. “You could have sent a crow.”

Rolling your eyes, you smiled at his mock anger. “How was I supposed to get one out when the weather went all berserk? You would’ve gotten the crow three months later, half dead and just about to thaw.”

“It would have been preferable to you bringing home a demon criminal,” Jack said offhandedly. There was no real malice in his words, but you couldn’t help but bristle slightly. He took note of your expression, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t be mad, I was just joking. I thought I already told you that I’d give him a fine at most.” 

“I’m not mad, but I wish you wouldn’t jump to conclusions when you don’t know him.” You said honestly. 

“And you do?” 

You opened your mouth to reply but closed it, looking down at your lap and your intertwined fingers. It was already enough for you to know that you and Gabriel were, on textbook, strangers, but it was another blow having Jack point it out so nonchalantly.

“You’re right,” you cleared your throat, lifting your head and fixing your gaze into his blue eyes. “I barely know anything about him, and I don’t know if I love him, but I care about him and I care about you. So please, give him a chance. Not as my king, but as my friend.”

Jack halted in his movements, his royal blue jacket still halfway up his arms and the hem of his shirt only partially tucked. He was handsome, anyone with eyes could tell you that, but you couldn’t help but compare his polished and cropped hair to Gabriel’s wild curls, and how Jack’s stare was like looking at the ocean while Gabriel’s were like getting lost in warm pools of honey. 

When he didn’t reply, instead going back to his ministrations, you slid down from his bed and made your way towards the door. There was nothing else you could say to him to change his mind, not when your own feelings were so muddled.

Just as your fingertips closed around the brass door handle, Jack cleared his throat. 

“What are your plans with him after his trial?” He asked. 

You froze for a second before your shoulders sagged. Lying to Jack usually got you into a spot you didn’t want to be in, so you told the truth. 

“I told him I’d help him find his cure. Whether it be on my own or from the witch who cursed him, I don’t know.” You explained, still facing the door.

“And your duties?” His voice was expectant yet challenging, as if he was almost waiting for you to abandon your duty to the crown. 

Standing up straight, your grip on the handle tightened. “My loyalty lies with the crown,” you said, unsure if you were lying to yourself. “My duties will come first.” 

There was a moment of silence before you heard Jack give a ragged sigh. 

“If he pays his fine and doesn’t get on my nerves, he can have his room and board here for a month. After that, he’ll need to find his own place in town and return every full moon to be contained in the dungeons. As long as your work is finished, what you do with your spare time is none of my concern. If he breaks any more laws I’ll have him exiled and if he hurts you I’ll have him hanged.” 

You couldn’t stop the slow smile that spread on your face, and you looked back to see Jack rolling his eyes at you. You tried to convey the gratefulness you felt for him through your gaze, and judging by the way he looked at you, he had received it. 

Turning back, you slipped out of his bedroom and into the hallway, ignoring the guards on either side of the door as you mentally tried to prepare yourself for the trial that was about to come.

-x-x-x-

Despite the fact that it was colder than ever in the castle, you could feel sweat gather in the high neckline of your designated healing uniform. After two months of wearing comfortable travelling clothes, you had forgotten how stiff and tight the garb was, complete with a bodice and more linen than you remembered.

The courtroom was sparse--there were no spectators or unnecessary personnel in attendance. You sat next to Brigitte, who had forgone the sling and opted for a splint wrapped tightly with cloth. Jack had allowed her to accompany you rather than to stand with the rest of the guards, which added another thing to the list you were appreciative of. 

The King sat in his throne, flanked by his immediate circle of sentries, all who stood rigidly and unmoving beside him. The courtroom was deadly silent, no one speaking as they wanted for the hearing to begin.

You fidgeted in your seat, too nervous to stay still. You hoped that Gabriel would for once be polite, but you figured that you were underestimating his intelligence in regards to how important it was for him to be on Jack’s good side.

“Don’t worry,” Brigitte whispered, taking your trembling hands in her good one. “Jack is fair, he won’t give an unjust sentence out of pettiness.”

You could only numbly nod. Although you had the reassurance of Jack’s words when you had left his room, you knew how he detested being made a fool out of. Gabriel was known to get under people’s skin, including yours, and you were too afraid to think about what exactly would happen if he got under Jack’s.

Before you could dwell on it any further, Jack’s rumbling voice echoed, bouncing off the stone walls.

“Please escort the defendant inside.”

Your eyes immediately went to the entrance, the two guards stationed there reaching over to open the massive double doors that led into the courtroom. More guards appeared first, and in the center of them you could see the tall stature that was Gabriel, his head held high and his wrists and ankles shackled in chains.

You could see him look around the benches, but there was no explanation for the feeling you got in your belly when he finally found you, a cocky grin on his lips. Gabriel gave you a roguish wink before he was forced to a halt, the rattles of his chains coming to a stop as he settled into a relaxed stance.

“Gabriel Reyes, you are here today charged with fraud and assault on royal personnel resulting in injury. How do you plead?” Jack looked almost bored from what you could see, leaning back into his throne with his leg crossed over his knee at the ankle. 

“Guilty,  _ your Majesty _ ,” Gabriel grinned back. “Please have mercy upon my soul.” 

Groaning, you buried your face in your hands, hoping to whatever God out there that this was not about to turn into a pissing contest. Peering back up, you saw Jack’s expression change, his jaw set and his eyes narrowing. His whole demeanor had changed, and you silently begged that he’d keep it together and not let Gabriel get to him. You focused your glare at the side of Gabriel’s head, hoping that he’d be able to hear the telepathic message of how you were going to wring his neck. 

“I, King Jack Morrison of Overshire, hereby declare you guilty of your crimes. You will be fined two thousand gold coins, owing to the crown, and serve three days of labour.” 

Startled, your head whipped back towards Jack, and you couldn’t hold back the groan that left you when you realized that he was pissed. There were no words to explain what you were going to do once you got a hold of Gabriel. You could already imagine it now, throttling him in front of everyone in the castle until that stupid head rolled right off his irritably large shoulders.

“Your sum must be paid by the end of the year, and the schedule of your service will be given to you at the end of today.” Jack continued, his annoyance clear in his voice. “Until you pay off the entirety of your fine, you will be confined to Overshire and unable to leave the kingdom. If you do so, you will be killed on sight. Any questions?”

“No, your Majesty. Please have your underlings expect to receive two hundred thousand copper coins by the end of this week. Is there anything else?” Gabriel drawled, reaching up with his shackled wrist to itch at his jawline. 

Jack glared back at him, clenching his jaw and gripping the arms of his throne. “That’s it,” he grit out. He nodded to the guards, who dipped their heads and began to unfasten the cuffs that restrained Gabriel.

When he was released, Gabriel gave a big stretch, another sly smile on his face as he turned towards you and winked. 

“Good, because I have a date with that healer of yours and she’ll kill me if I’m late.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoowee this is getting longer than I thought it would 🥴 also! I realize that Jack should be addressed to as your majesty not highness, I will correct those in previous chapters on my laptop!

**Author's Note:**

> omg ah idk what prompted this but I really wanted to write some fantasy au. I’m not sure where this story will go but I don’t think it’ll be long, but it’ll definitely be lengthier than my other fic!


End file.
